Restoring Feeling
by Spartan-IV
Summary: When the imagination's worst horrors are confronted in reality, people can't help but change. Adaptation is one of the cornerstones of evolution, but for Gordon Freeman, this isn't evolution, it is regression.
1. Numb

**Chapter I: Numb**

"Get going! Head for the roof!" A man, draped in the denim outfit that seemed to pass for the standard uniform for citizens, yelled at Gordon as he bolted through a doorway on the top floor of an apartment complex. The door slammed shut with a loud bang as the stranger put all of his weight against the door, the sounds of pursuing footsteps drawing nearer.

The scientist didn't stay to watch before moving up a nearby staircase onto the roof of the sketchy apartment building he'd been unwillingly forced into. A quick glance revealed a gigantic hole in the wall, and it was one that Gordon moved to without hesitation. A quick jump to a nearby building ensured that he could still keep going to whatever end he was presented with. Gun fire could be heard just as the young physicist started to climb to a higher part of the apartment's adjoining roof. The noise was quickly followed by sharp cracks as the discharging 9mm rounds impacted into the building's cement surface.

Not needing any further encouragement, Gordon scrambled up his select section of roof. A small ledge, on what looked like an abandoned hotel, promised to be an escape and it was one the unwilling soldier hoped would be kept. Small wooden boards connected his downward sloping section of roof with his target. Wary of putting his trust into a material that looked like it would break on contact, the scientist jumped once again. More bullets began tracking his movements, not just the authorities on the roof, but there were now those at street level firing at Gordon's location on the fourth floor.

The physicist scrambled across the ledges, more discharging rounds tracking his position. A sharp pang in his shoulder brought an involuntary wince from the scientist, his probing hand coming away slick with crimson liquid. He didn't need a PhD to know he'd just been shot in the left shoulder. Another dose of searing agony shot through the nerves of his left leg like fire, the strength of it almost enough to bring Gordon to his knees.

He managed to keep himself standing upright, however, only the snarl on his face giving evidence to the pained yells he suppressed. The sight of an open window frame offered the physicist shelter from the continuing hail of bullets and so he quickly climbed up and hurled himself inside, barley biting back another wince as he landed on his injured side. Gordon surveyed his surroundings; the sounds of fading gun-fire replaced with movement below let him know that the forces on the ground weren't going to give up so easily.

Gordon was on the top floor of an unknown building, the only viable exit seemed to be a small staircase that looked like it would take him a floor below. Knowing time was everything, Gordon quickly moved down and into a small corridor with two doors at either end. Opting to take the first one, the scientist moved to the one on his left; only to back away as the door violently swung open, revealing one of the strangely garbed police the physicist had met earlier, an electrically active baton clutched in his hand.

Gordon quickly avoided the metro-cop's first swipe, side-stepping as the electric device swiped through the area where his torso had been moments ago. The reluctant soldier quickly stepped forward, grabbed the metro-cop's baton and twisted the weapon back so that the electric payload coursed through the body of the wielder. The CP convulsed a bit before collapsing, his partner behind him swiftly stepping in to fill the gap. Gordon was about to jab the baton into his next target when a searing pain coursed through his back. He felt himself going weak and his vision became blurry. The MIT graduate felt himself slipping unconscious, only managing one last swipe with the baton before the action was reciprocated and he felt himself slip into darkness.

Sometime later, Gordon could hear faint voices. The noises quickly became louder as his mind gradually returned to conscious thought patterns. A female voice called out, a sound that was accompanied by the noise of combat. Three screams were heard before the scientist was able to weakly open his eyes. A beautiful woman entered his field of vision, a smile framing her face as she gazed down at him. "Doctor Freeman I presume?"

Gordon managed a nod in reply, making the woman smile just a bit wider before her eyes darted to the right, where a sharp klaxon echoed in the distance. "We'd better hurry," the woman said with a frown as she helped him to his feet, "The Combine can be slow to wake but once their up, you don't want to get in their way."

The physicist looked around to see several metro-cops unconscious on the cement floor. Nodding absentmindedly at the woman's sentence, Gordon took note that his escort was moving to an elevator and he followed as quickly as he could, the wound in his leg sending sparks of pain through his system with every step.

"Doctor Kliener said you'd be coming this way," The young lady said as she pressed a button that let the lift doors slide apart. A brief laugh escaped her lips, "I don't think it occurred to him that you might not have a map."

Gordon only offered another nod at that as he stepped into the lift alongside her where she quickly keyed another button, sending the lift into a descent.

"I'm Alyx Vance," she said, her form turning to look at Gordon. Upon seeing his confused expression, she quickly elaborated, "My father worked with you back at Black Mesa?" She steeled herself back when she realized how excited she sounded, tucking a stray strand of brown hair back behind her similarly coloured headband. "I'm sure you don't remember me though."

The scientist remembered her all right, but as a five year old girl. Looking at her now, Gordon wondered if it was really possible for this woman, clearly in her twenties, to be the five year old he had only met several times before; the last of which had only been a week before the Resonance Cascade.

His thoughts instantly turned to his 'employer,' the ominous presence known to him only as the G-man. He recalled the inhuman abilities the G-man possessed, abilities that had allowed the two to be seamlessly teleported to various areas in the galaxy- from Xen to a Black Mesa tram moving through nothing but blackness- during their first encounter. The entity's strange speech pattern and cryptic statements regarding government employment had only served to reaffirm Gordan's suspicions of alien origin.

The last thing he remembered was being given the illusion of making a choice, one to either live by serving the G-man, or to be teleported back into the very facility he had just escaped from, where the unknown life-form ensured only death would result. 'Anti-climactic', the G-man had deemed the decision to remain. A mild adjective in Gordan's mind, as it did nothing to accurately label the sheer mixture of rage, hopelessness, and frustration the scientist had been feeling at the time. He had escaped an obstacle course worth of traps, only to be entangled in a web.

With the strange abilities of his employer in mind, he no longer harboured any doubts that the woman in front of him was, indeed, an adult Alyx Vance. The acceptance alone brought forth a surge of disconcerting scenarios. Given what he could assume of Alyx's age and the abilities at his 'employer's' disposal, it would mean he had been away for some time. Where exactly that was, however, and why he couldn't remember anything after entering the G-man's portal, Gordon had no definite answer.

His most prominent theories were either a period of suspended animation; it would help to explain why those he knew looked so much older, or else he had simply been moved somewhere into the future. The last was the more ridiculous of the two and, had it been three days ago, he wouldn't have hesitated to discard the hypothesis. Now, however, after witnessing everything he had seen during the Resonance Cascade, he found that he couldn't disregard it as simply as he would have liked.

"Man of few words, aren't you?"

Alyx's rhetorical question brought him out of his thoughts, redirecting his gaze from the elevator door to the woman at his right. Her smirk turned to a look of confusion as the physicist only offered a shrug in response, mentally cursing himself as he did since the wound in his left shoulder was still very much prominent.

Even though he hadn't made a single sound in response to the flaring of his neurons, Alyx must've noticed the stiffness in his movement for she looked at him with concerned eyes. "You okay?"

He only nodded an affirmative. He'd learned the hard way not to show weakness to anyone, particularly not to those with friendly demeanours. 'There's daggers in men's smiles,' Shakespeare had wrote, a sentence the scientist found all too true.

The young woman looked at him doubtfully but made no further comment as she turned around and headed out of the lift. Gordon followed, consciously attempting to lessen the pressure on his left leg. Alyx led the former Black Mesa employee through a hidden hallway behind a poster of Doctor Breen, where the Resistance member punched in a series of numbers into a nearby keypad. "It's funny," She said, turning her gaze back to Gordon, "You showing up on this day in particular."

The physicist only kept silent, not bothering to ask what she was talking about. Alyx continued walking forward, "We've been helping citizens escape the City on foot," She continued, jumping over a guardrail to land on the floor only a foot below.

Gordon had no desire to do the same and waddled over to the short staircase close by. He stopped right on top, not knowing how he was going to walk down the steps with his current injury. Deciding to just wing it, the scientist managed to hop down the stairs on his right leg, catching up with Alyx as she continued speaking. "It's a dangerous route to my father's lab, through the old canals." She paused to look back at Gordon. "Today we're finally on the verge of having a better way."

The physicist came close to emitting a frustrated groan. That had been all the answers he seemed to ever get out of people since the Resonance Cascade, vague explanations and general directions. At Black Mesa, he had made his way through an immense complex he'd never even seen half of, following a scattered trail of advice from security guards and colleagues, all of whom never really provided any definite answers.

It seemed he would be doing the same thing here.

Alyx led him to what seemed to be a dead-end corridor. If it had been a stranger, the former Black Mesa employee would have believed exactly that, but this was Eli's daughter. That fact alone made him stay silent as the woman made a quip about 'buying him a drink' as she stood next to a vending machine selling cans of Doctor Breen's Private Reserve.

He wasn't very surprised to find the front end of the machine swing outward like a door, Alyx standing next to it with a smile. "Oh, and by the way, nice to finally meet you."

Once again, a nod was the only response as Gordon moved into the newly revealed room beyond. He briefly put too much weight on his injured leg, triggering an agony so intense even the Black Mesa veteran couldn't help but let out a hiss. He swiftly adjusted his gait, moving to a point inside what he recognized as a laboratory. Diagnostic boards, consoles, a computer, and a lab-coat garbed individual were the first things to meet Gordan's surveying gaze.

Since the person looked to be the only one within the room, the physicist headed in that direction. He didn't get very close before the individual let out a curse. It wasn't that which put a stop to Gordon's approach, however. It was the voice. One he hadn't heard for a couple of days, the voice of his mentor at MIT, Doctor Issac Kliener.

"Oh Fie, where did she get to!" Kliener's shouts increased in volume as he stuck his head into what looked to be a small kennel. "Lamarr! Come out of there!"

"Everything alright Doctor Kliener?"

Alyx's voice pulled Gordon's attention away from Issac and to the young woman in question, who regarded him with a smirk as though he already knew what was going on. But he didn't.

Kliener spared a glance to Alyx, before removing his head from the kennel. "Hello Alyx," He spoke offhand. "Almost alright, Lamarr has gotten out of her crate again. If I didn't know better," Kliener continued as he started to turn around, "I'd suspect Barney of trapping…" The scientist trailed off once his eyes locked on Gordon, a wide smile splitting across his face. "Gordon Freeman! It really is you, isn't it?"

Despite the buried feeling of elation coursing through his mind upon seeing his old mentor alive and unharmed, Gordon only returned the enthusiastic greeting with a slight inclination of his head.

Not that his lack of expressed feeling was noticed by anyone, Kliener was so caught up in his own thoughts that Gordon didn't even think it would have mattered if he had made the biggest emotional display possible.

Alyx's attention was focused on Doctor Kliener, with only a brief smirk directed at Gordon. "I found him wandering around outside, bit of a troublemaker isn't he?"

"We owe a great deal to Doctor Freeman," Kliener said in dismissal, though he looked at his pupil briefly, "Even if trouble _does_ tend to follow in his wake."

A grimace shot across Freeman's expression, the casually spoken statement dredging up a memory Gordon wished he didn't have.

/

"_Shutting down…..attempting shutdown." _

"_It's not…it's not." _

_A flash of energy discharged from the scanning array like lightning-_

/

"Sit."

The simple command brought the physicist out of his memory before it could completely reach its deadly end. He looked up to see Alyx motioning to a crate near what seemed to be the laboratory storage room. His questioning expression bore into the young woman, despite the presence of her demanding tone.

"You're injured, I can tend to it."

The physicist was unable to prevent a flicker of surprise from appearing on his face, he found it hard to believe he had been that careless with letting his weakness show. Alyx only rolled her eyes in response, "I noticed the blood on your uniform in the elevator shaft." She retrieved a med-kit from one of the many boxes stacked behind Gordon. She rolled up the sleeve on his left leg while the Black Mesa veteran did the same on his left arm. A look of concern fixed on her face when she took in the extent of his wounds. "Oh my god, I was starting to think you had only cut yourself on something with the way you were moving." She brought her intense gaze up at him, "Were you even planning on letting us know you'd been shot?"

The scientist returned the look with a blank expression and a shrug, an action which took Alyx completely by surprise. Unable to think of a response to such an apathetic display, the woman only blinked at him a few times before slowly returning to her work. She grabbed a vial of a specially designed healing fluid the resistance had liberated from the Combine, one that promoted the body's natural regeneration rate, allowing wounds to heal seemingly instantaneously.

"This is going to hurt," She said in warning before pouring a small amount of the liquid on the wound. Only a few seconds passed before the flesh could be seen mending back together. Alyx repeated the process on his other injury, after manually extracting the bullet still lodged inside. She watched Gordon's face the entire time, searching for a reaction. To her great surprise, his features retained their neutral look. He never deviated once, making Alyx's brow knot in worry.

She knew from experience that even the toughest person found it impossible to bear such treatment in silence. If she hadn't already seen him moving about, she would have suspected nerve damage to be the cause. The fact that she knew he could only made her concern grow, part of her thought that something else might be wrong with him.

Before she could even voice such concerns, however, Doctor Kliener, who had been relatively silent during Alyx's medical treatment, immersed in his own thoughts as he consulted his computer, took that moment to speak to his pupil. "Gordon, I must say you've come at a very opportune time. Alyx has just installed the final piece for our resurrected teleport!"

"I…can't take any credit for the breakthrough Doctor,' Alyx said slowly, brown eyes still watching Gordon as he merely stared at the far wall, eyes unfocused as though he were deep in thought.

She'd heard stories of Gordon Freeman from Barney, Doctor Kliener, and her own father. They'd always described him as a fun, mostly easy going guy, with a passion for science, a man who had practically single-handedly neutralized the threat posed by the Resonance Cascade. Because of that, Alyx had always pictured Gordon Freeman as a hero in every sense of the word.

Now, looking at the very person she had always wanted to meet, she was puzzled. The physicist seemed to retain some of the qualities she had imagined, but he was still vastly different from what she had pictured. For one, the air of confidence Alyx would have thought he would project was non-existent. It was that quality alone that made him seem less of a hero and more of just an ordinary man.

"Nonsense," Kliener admonished Alyx's modest reply in a playful tone, "Your talents surpass your loveliness."

She laughed lightly at that, Doctor Kliener was one of the few people who knew how to cheer her up. "Let's just see if this thing works, okay?"

Any possible rebuttal from Kliener was cut-off when Barney came bolting inside the room, his eyes frantically scanning the area. "Well, is he here?" He answered his own question when he caught sight of Gordon sitting on the crate at the far end, an audible sigh of relief escaping him as he gazed at his friend. "There you are. Man Gordon, you stirred up the hive!"

Barney moved to a security station, quickly flipping through the video feeds to make sure he didn't have a tail. "We can't keep him here long Doc," He said to Kliener, "It'll jeopardize everything we've worked for."

"Don't worry," Alyx said with a placating gesture to try and ease Barney's mind. "He's coming with me."

That was about as much as Gordon bothered to listen to, the rest of the conversation not even being processed by him as he turned his attention to the lab itself. Even the prospect of his mentor having created working teleportation technology again no longer held any real interest to him. He'd seen the disastrous turn experiments could take, the deaths they could bring. He no longer wanted to be a part of it.

Now he just wanted a quick history lesson, answers to help him fill in the gaps between what happened at Black Mesa and now. Unfortunately, a search of Doctor Kliener's lab left Gordon with nothing to provide such information and so he found himself tuning back into the conversation between the other three occupants of the room.

"Doc, since he's not taking the streets you might as well get him out of his civvies."

"What?" Kliener's befuddled expression only lasted a moment before he shook his head, "Right, I almost forgot. Barney, I'll give you the honour."

A small smile stretched across the former security guard's lips. "I've got to get back on my shift, but okay."

Barney caught sight of Gordon and motioned for him to follow as he led his friend to a storage room next to the security station. A quick inputting of numbers into the nearby keypad allowed the metal slat door to open, revealing a piece of equipment Gordon didn't think he'd see again, an HEV suit.

Even though Gordon's surprised expression didn't last for very long Barney must've caught sight of it, for he shot his friend a smile before moving over to the console next to the containment chamber where the suit was stored. The room became shrouded in a yellow hue as the lights snapped on, revealing more than just the corners of the area. A slight shriek could be heard, its origin emanating from the shadowy outline of a creature on top of the storage chamber. It was a sound so recent in Gordon's mind that it instantly set him on high alert. The veteran's hand moved toward his right side where he normally kept his crowbar. He checked the movement, however, when he remembered he no longer had such a melee weapon at his disposal.

The shriek was followed by Barney's shouts, forcing Gordon to focus on his friend, only to find him wrestling with the very creature he expected to be present, a headcrab. Gordon's eyes searched for a weapon he could use, his gaze finally falling on a cluster of books on top of a nearby locker. Acting fast, the physicist snatched one of the literary works up in his hands and moved towards the disgusting creature, fully intent on beating it into a paste.

He brought his hands up and was just seconds away from doing just that when a pair of slender hands gripped his own. The grip wasn't meant to be strong, there was just enough pressure behind the gesture for him to turn his attention to a nervously smiling Alyx Vance. "Hold it Gordon," She urged, "This isn't your typical headcrab."

"She's right about that," Barney said, throwing the headcrab that had been trying to attach to his face toward the ground. "This one's worse." The parasitic organism jumped onto the very locker where Gordon had retrieved his improvised weapon, seeming to sit on its back legs. "Go on Gordon," Barney urged, motioning toward the headcrab. "Have at it."

"You will do no such thing," Issac Kliener shouted, shooting Barney a sharp glare as he approached the creature. "Never fear Gordon," Kliener said as he looked at his pupil, speaking in a comforting tone once he noticed that the veteran hadn't yet released his hold on the book. "She's de-beaked and _completely_ harmless. The worst she might do is attempt to…"

"Have its way with your face?" Barney supplied helpfully, a hateful glance exchanged with the headcrab.

"_Couple_ with your head," The doctor corrected sharply. "Fruitlessly," He assured, the added adverb spoken more for Gordon's benefit.

As if noticing Barney's glare, the headcrab rocked itself back into a standing position, a slight growl seeming to erupt from the creature as it took a step toward Barney. Gordon raised the book back into a striking position automatically, his grip tightening and his posture tense, just waiting for a reason to revert to his original intention and grind the alien into the floor.

Once again, however, a gesture from Alyx made Gordon lower the book. He dropped the object a few seconds later when he realized that he wouldn't be able to murder the hideous creature, despite the strong compulsion to do just that.

"Get that thing away from me!" Barney yelled, crouching into a defensive stance.

Kliener patted the top of his head, drawing the headcrab's attention to him. "Here my pet, up, up."

The creature ignored its owner entirely, however, jumping through the storage racks to crawl into the lab's ventilation shaft. "Oh Fie," Kliener said, swing a fist across his chest in annoyance. "It'll be another week before I can coax her out of there!"

"Yeah," Barney said, turning to whisper to Gordon, "Longer if we're lucky."

Alyx jokingly commented that he must not be an animal person, to which the security guard only shivered and let out a groan of disgust.

"Here you go Gordon," Barney proudly declared after letting the doors barring access to the suit slide apart. His triumphant look transformed to a confused frown when he noticed that his friend was staring at the ceiling. The confusion evaporated, however, when he followed the scientist's gaze to the spot where Kliener's pet headcrab, Lamarr, had vanished. "Nothing's stopping you Gordon," Barney said, knowing Gordon was considering whether or not to follow the creature through the air-vent and put an end to the parasitic menace.

The physicist brought his gaze down to Barney, a slight eye motion toward Doctor Kliener being a silent expression of the only thing holding him back.

The frown was back on the former security guard's face, "Well, there is that, but I'm sure he'd get over it eventually. Besides, I'd distract him for you."

"Don't," Alyx warned, her eyes focusing on Gordon briefly before flicking between the two friends. "C'mon Barney, stop joking around about that."

"Who's joking?" Barney replied, speaking with such seriousness that it gave Alyx pause.

The former security guard had seen the horrors the aliens could unleash countless times, both in Black Mesa and other parts of the world. Some of the victims had been his own friends, each one either turned into a zombie or killed during the conversion process. It was his respect for Issac Kliener, and the man's expressed desire to try and learn how the creatures functioned, that kept Barney from killing the headcrab on first sight.

After the creature had been de-beaked though, the doctor had grown fond of the alien, to the point where he had proudly declared it to be his pet. At that point, it was only the respect that kept Barney restrained. Countless attempts of having Lamarr try to jump on his head, however, were starting to wear him thin.

Gordon noticed the pain and hatred reflecting in Barney's eyes and stepped toward his friend, placing a hand on his shoulder and squeezing lightly to bring Barney's attention away from his thoughts. A slight smile stretched across Gordon's face when his firend looked up to regard him, portraying an emotion he wasn't feeling at all. It was all Barney needed, however, to bring himself out of his memories. He reciprocated the gesture with a completely genuine one, slipping back into his familiar joking manner as he encouraged Gordon to hurry up and don the suit.

The veteran did just that, glad that he could pull Barney back from his gloomy thoughts. Just because he was numb, didn't mean others had to be.

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**This story will follow Gordon Freeman from a persepctive deviating from the norm. **

**No doubt you already have questions about how he got to be the way he is. Don't worry, they'll be answered in time.**

**I'll be jumpning through the chapters in Half-Life 2 and revisitng events in Black Mesa, exploring Gordon's past, relations between characters (one in particular), interactions with others, things like that. **

**I feel like its been awhile since I've written anything, so let me know if this was a good read or not. **


	2. Ghostly Sensation

**Thanks to mellombror and misswheatly for your reviews, its good to know this story is enjoyable to others. **

**I think the next chapter is even better than the first, but I'll let everyone here decide that for themselves**

**ADDENDUM (July 5th): I'll be gone for the next two months and will be unable to continue on this story. I'll try to get a next chapter out before I leave tomorrow, but don't count on it. Next update will most likely be in September.  
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**Chapter II: Ghostly Sensation**

()

Blast doors closed behind Gordon, cutting off the natural illumination of the outside world and shrouding the room in darkness. It only lasted for a handful of seconds, before bright lights snapped on, flooding Gordon's vision with white illumination. He brought his left hand away from the foregrip of his captured MP-7A sub-machine gun to help shield his eyes.

"I've got something," A distinctly female voice called.

The sound of machinery whirring to life made Gordon take his hand away from his face to get a better view of what was going on. Two metallic arms rotated out from the wall, blinking lights fixated on him, while the objects themselves tracked his pacing movement. The veteran's slightly relaxed posture vanished with this discovery, the idea of being confronted with turrets entering his mind. He shouldered his SMG, flicking off the recently engaged safety as his finger hovered on the trigger.

"Okay its human," The female spoke again, the devices moving back to their previous positions. "Hello? Take it easy in there, you're safe now."

Gordon suppressed a snort at that; safety was a temporary thing at best.

A red field snapped to life at the ceiling, a field that slowly started descending towards Gordon. An observation window slowly started open at the same time, giving the combatant a view of the control booth beyond. Two people were inside, a male still dressed in the citizen standard and a woman; the same one who had witnessed his misfortune with teleportation.

"You'll have to forgive the scanning process, we can't take any chances." The women turned away from the scan readout in the back to see who had found their way to Black Mesa East. Her expression changed to shock when she recognized the individual standing in the airlock. "Doctor Freeman? Gordon Freeman, is that you? You made it here this quickly. Eli is going to be amazed, not to mention relieved."

The One Free Man glanced at the fields as it finally made contact with his body, part of him expecting to feel pain. Noting happened however, so he turned his attention back to the speaker.

"I'm Doctor Mossman, Doctor Judith Mossman. I've been hearing about you since long before the Black Mesa incident." She paused, an audible sigh coming from her. "Oh, Black Mesa. I do so envy you working with Eli and Doctor Kliener when they were at the top of their field."

The way she said 'Black Mesa' made Gordon think there was more to her story than the simple professional envy she chalked it up to, but he only continued to pace the airlock, waiting to be released.

The scanning field dissipated once it ran through its vertical sweep, a green light flickering on a wall mounted panel soon after. "Ah, there we go," Mossman continued, the inner door opening once she gave the command. "You can come through now."

Gordon did just that, moving out of the confined space to a concrete and steel lined hallway. Overhanging lights gave off a strong illumination, one that revealed the form of Doctor Mossman once she left the airlock control booth. "I'll take you down to Eli right away. He would never forgive me if I kept you waiting."

Her last statement was finished with a small laugh, one that made Gordon lift a brow. There was nothing humorous about that statement, the fact that he knew Eli only reinforced that belief. He had the distinct impression that she was nervous. Given all the awed looks and eager people he had met on his way here, the possibility was more than likely.

Judith led the veteran towards an elevator, speaking while she walked. "We could certainly use the extra help around here. We've covered a lot of ground these last few months, but things would go so much faster if we had more people with your training."

_There's that laugh again_, Gordon thought as he continued regarding her blankly. He felt a suppressed combination of amusement and anger at the thought of fighting his way through hordes of Civil Protection units, just so he could participate in scientific experiments.

"We're closing in on a reliable teleportation technology. It's something the Combine still hasn't mastered." She paused to signal the base elevator. "Eli thinks their portals are string-based, similar to our Calabi-Yau model."

The former Black Mesa employee noted that such a model had only been based on what had been called the superstring theory during the days leading up to the Resonance Cascade. It grabbed his attention only because the time it must have taken to refine the theory and put it into practise would have been a long period and it gave him a better idea of just how much time had passed in his absence.

"The Combine, however," Judith continued, "Failed to factor in the dark energy equations. They can tunnel through from thier universe but once they're here, they're dependent on local transportation. If they knew what we were doing with entanglement—" She cut herself off, stepping into the elevator that arrived on its designated floor, moving toward the left side.

Gordon followed, stopping on the opposite side, not knowing what the hell she was talking about with regards to 'dark energy' or 'entanglement. Then again, he didn't care enough to ask either.

A laugh escaped the female doctor, "Listen to me, I sound like a post doc." She turned to Gordon, the smile he was quickly regarding as irritating back on her face- though as usual, it didn't show. "I'm just so excited to think we'll finally have the chance to work together."

With that said, she keyed for a descent into the depths of the resistance hideout, turning slightly towards Gordon as the elevator started to move. "Where was I?"

She stood thinking for a moment but Gordon didn't bother listening to her once she continued, settling for tuning her out. His attention was focused, instead, on the various glimpses of activity that could be seen through the passing underground sections of the complex.

The sight of two individuals playing a game of chess was the first thing the MIT graduate caught sight of. The player on the right was just one of the many citizens Gordon had encountered. But the one on the left instantly set his adrenaline flowing, his SMG moving from its position of being slung across his shoulder to in contact with his hands.

He'd almost shot the first of the lanky, bipedal aliens he'd encountered on his way to Black Mesa East. It had been in the first marker of the Resistance's underground railway, inside an abandoned railway container. After a quick explanation by the human male inside, Gordon had lowered his weapon. Apparently the aliens, referred to as Vortigaunts, had taken to siding with humanity in their struggle against the Combine.

The veteran had decided to give them the benefit of the doubt, but it didn't stop him from tensing everytime he came near one of the creatures, nor did it prevent him from arming himself with the closest weapon available. He breathed a sigh of relief when the alien could no longer be seen.

It didn't last long though, since the next level contained two more Vortigaunts, this time in what looked like a kitchen. Chef hats were balanced precariously on their football shaped heads, knives in their hands as they sliced headcrabs into pieces. Gordon's grip on his SMG tightened.

Soon the kitchen view passed to show two more of the aliens firing their electrical attacks into what looked like the generators that operated the base. A couple of citizens directed their movements, pointing to which generators needed a power boost. It wasn't until the section passed that Gordon realized he had taken the safety off the MP-7A.

"Ah, here's Eli now."

Gordon turned his attention away from his SMG at Judith's statement to catch sight of a much older Eli Vance conversing with a Vortigaunt. Deciding there were too many of the creatures present for Gordon to ease up as much as he thought, the veteran followed Doctor Mossman out of the elevator, making sure to have his newly slung MP-7A in an easy to reach spot.

Judith approached Doctor Vance with a smile. "Eli, look who I found in the airlock!"

The Resonance Cascade survivor turned around at the sound of his name, his face splitting into a warm smile when he caught sight of the approaching man. "Gordon Freeman!" He took a few steps closer to Gordon, "Let me get a look at you man. My god, you haven't changed one iota. How do you do it?"

The One Free Man only shrugged, he only had partial answers to the question himself. Even if he did have a complete answer to provide, however, he still wouldn't be intent on giving it.

Eli was so elated at seeing one of his old friends alive, that he didn't even seem to care whether Gordon answered or not. "Let's see, the last time I saw you, I sent you up for help after the Resonance Cascade." A slight laugh emitted from him, "I never thought it would take you this long to get back to me!"

"Neither did I," Gordon spoke quietly, his voice portraying only a hint of the sadness he felt at his situation.

Apparently he hadn't spoken softly enough, for Eli laughed at the statement, giving his friend a pat on the back as he inched him further into his own workplace. "Welcome to the lab anyway," Doctor Vance said, gesturing toward the various generators, consoles, analysis boards, and computers in the area. "It's not Black Mesa, but it has served us well enough."

"It's going to be a lot more like Black Mesa with Gordon here to help," Judith said, an unnerving smile directed at the statement's recipient.

Gordon snapped his head around to face her, unable to suppress his emotions at as his eyes burned with rage. "Just what the hell is _that_ supposed to mean!"

Doctor Mossman's eyes widened in shock at Gordon's reaction, her hands rapidly moving in a placating intending gesture as she took a few steps back.

With Gordon in possession of a crowbar, USP Match, and MP-7A sub-machine gun he made for a highly intimidating sight, a fact only amplified by the presence of various bullet holes and blood coating his HEV suit.

"C'mon Gordon," Eli spoke as he moved close enough to place a hand on the younger man's shoulder. "You know that she didn't mean it like that. MIT graduates are rare in these times is all."

The veteran took a deep breath, burying the emotions that were threatening to unravel him and settling back into his familiar neutral look. "Sure," He said in acknowledgement to Eli, his gaze briefly switching to Judith. "Sorry."

His apology was far from sincere, but no-one bothered to comment on it.

"That's fine," Doctor Mossman spoke in a somewhat even tone, though she still looked more than a little intimidated. "I've got some work to finish up," Judith spoke as she started to backpedal out of the room, only taking her eyes off Gordon when he turned to face a speaking Eli.

"We'll get you out of that hazard suit and back into your lab-coat—"

"No."

Gordon spoke with such simple finality that it stopped Eli cold. He turned back from his workstation to face his friend. "What do you mean no?"

"If you remember what you said to me during the Resonance Cascade, you no doubt remember the remark I made to you."

Eli frowned; he did indeed remember the battered form of Gordon Freeman climbing out of a forcibly made out-of-service elevator. Gordon had walked straight toward him while he tended to an injured colleague. After he had expressed his surprise upon seeing Gordon alive, his friend had only regarded him with dimmed eyes.

"So much destruction…and death…from such a simple experiment. I don't want to be a part of this."

At the time, Eli had assumed Gordon meant that he didn't want to be the one to go to the surface to get help. Now, however, after considering how little persuasion had been needed to convince his friend to do that very task, Eli realized he should have known Gordon had been referring to something else, his choice of career path.

"Eli," Gordon spoke, making his way around the lab to find something akin to his interests. "Let me remind you I'm out of the scientific field." He gestured towards all the items in the lab, the teleporter in particular. "I don't do this sort of thing anymore."

"You can't deny what you are Gordon," The Vance patriarch spoke, his voice soft and gentle.

Blank green irises flicked toward him, "I'm not."

Eli only sighed sadly, "At least think more on this before you make a final decision Gordon."

The veteran nodded in compromise after a few seconds of hesitation. He doubted he would even need to reconsider the decision but he decided to agree, if only to make his friend feel somewhat more at ease.

A goal which seemed to have been met, for Eli smiled once more. "Good."

Gordon stopped in his trek around Eli's lab, having discovered something of interest. A cork message board was tacked next to Doctor Vance's workstation, various schematics and blueprints attached to it. What really drew his attention, however, was the newspaper clippings clustered in the middle. The veteran stared at the headlines.

_Portal 'Storm' Continues._

The combatant felt a suppressed stab of confusion at that. He thought he'd put a stop to the portal's forced connection to Earth when he'd taken care of the Xen Overlord, Nihilanth.

_Seven Hour War Ends in Combine Victory._

Gordon' could only stare blankly at the article, lost beyond words.

_Earth Surrenders._

He didn't even bother to read more from that article, particularly since, in a way, the story was still being written.

"You look like a man who could use a few explanations," Eli said, a slight grin in place when he noticed Gordon simply staring at the board. The combatant's only response was to point at the portal storm and seven hour war articles, his look of confusion letting Eli know how far his lack of knowledge went. "Gordon," The older man started cautiously, "Don't you know…_anything_?"

A shake of the MIT graduate's head was the only response. He didn't particularly care for the information either, save only for what use he could put it toward his assignment of destroying the Combine. At least, that was what Gordon assumed his mission was since, as usual, his 'employer' hadn't directly conveyed anything towards him. But, since the G-man hadn't contacted Gordon again, he felt it logical to assume he was on the correct path.

Even though he knew this was his homeplanet and that the people around him were his old friends, he felt nothing with regard to the entire situation. Indulging in such emotions served no purpose, particularly since he knew he was bound to the mysterious G-man now. Once he completed his tasking here, he had no idea where he would be sent to next. And, if Gordon's theory on being forcibly placed in stasis was within the G-man's abilities- as he so believed, then he knew he could live forever.

While immortality was something most people couldn't help but dream about, the prospect was highly unnerving to Gordon. Since the final moment at Black Mesa, he knew he'd been shackled, bound, to serve the will of another for as long as he survived the tasking.

"The Seven Hour War was a direct result from the catastrophe at Black Mesa," Eli began slowly, eyes regarding the silent form of Gordon Freeman with worry. "You see, the Resonance Cascade forged a kind of dimensional rift, one that attracted the attention of the Combine. Essentially, we'd opened up the door for them, and they were all too happy to take it."

"Their attempt at entry created portals throughout Earth, forging gateways between our two universes. When they finally came, they did so in full force," Eli paused to let out a sigh, "We never really had a chance." His voice took on an angry scowl when his eyes focused on Doctor Breen's picture in the Earth Surrender article. "Even so, the fact that Wallace Breen even considered the possibility of surrendering to a faction only intent on enslavement, to betray others simply for a grab at power…" He trailed off, letting out a breath as he turned away from the board. "It's disgusting."

Gordon only nodded at the information, storing it away for later analysis, something he was sure he'd find plenty of time for later on. He continued his search of the lab, looking for anything else that warranted his attention. He found it, in the form of a framed photo of the Vance family. Eli, an infant Alyx, and Eli's Wife, Azian, were all present in the black and white photo.

Looking at Azian made the combatant wonder where she was, he would have expected her to be nearby, at the very least to have caught sight of her by now. Gordon turned to look at Eli, only to find the scientist already looking at him with sad eyes. "You remember my wife Azian, don't you?

The MIT graduate nodded, gesturing toward the area around him, a silent query as to the woman's whereabouts.

Eli only looked at the family photo, "That picture and Alyx…it was all I managed to carry out of Black Mesa."

Before Gordon could even think of a response on such a revelation, the sound of a loud thud brought his gaze snapping toward a sliding metal door, one that was situated against the wall directly beside Eli's workstation. Alyx Vance walked inside, her eyes seeming to frantically search the room. For a moment he could have sworn he heard her breathing hard, but it only seemed to last for a second so he shrugged it off.

Once she caught sight of him standing at the far right, however, her expression seemed to instantly brighten up, a wide grin stretching across her lips. "Gordon! The Vortigaunts said you were here."

The Black Mesa veteran felt himself tense at the mention of the aliens, his gaze instantly moving to the lone member of the species working in Eli's lab. It had been less than fifteen minutes since his arrival, he found it hard to believe that any type of rumour could spread that fast. Part of him felt it was the Vortigaunts themselves who were able to spread such knowledge. If that were true than the only logical candidate would be the creature standing only five metres away, since the others had been distracted at the time. If such things were true though, it begged the question of how they were able to transmit such information.

"I can't believe you made it so quickly on foot!" Alyx finished with a look of pleasant surprise.

"I believe he broke your record, honey." Eli said as he turned to look at his daughter.

"Well, he earned it." Alyx spoke, briefly looking at her father before switching her gaze back to Gordon. "I guess you proved you can handle yourself out there."

He gave her a nod in response. Proving ability, it was a concept that seemed to have died with the Combine invasion. Most of the people he had met on his way to Black Mesa East had only looked at him with awe due to tales of his exploits during the Resonance Cascade. It was good to see that at least some people weren't so blind. Gordon had learned from experience- mostly from within the scientific community- that it was best to rely solely on yourself; working with others was pointless unless their stories of success had been clearly demonstrated and proven.

"There's nothing Gordon can't handle," Eli stated confidently, his serious expression turning into a smirk as he stepped closer to Alyx, wrapping an arm around her shoulders as he squeezed her into a sideways hug, "With the possible exception of you."

"Dad, please," The young Resistance woman pleaded in embarrassment.

Eli's smirk only turned into a grin as he leaned back, pointing a more than slightly accusing finger at his daughter, a noise of uncertainty escaping him.

Alyx only walked away, shaking her head slightly with a slight smile on her face as she looked at Gordon briefly. The woman moved toward a pull-down ladder which led toward, what Gordon guessed, to be a diagnostic station. She scaled the vertical access area, typing commands away on the terminal.

Eli, once he obtained Gordon's attention, waved him over to an area nestled in the far right corner of the lab. A large glass panel revealed a golden crystal within the clutches of heavy metallic arms. "I know you said you're not immersing in science, but you still might find this interesting." A simple press of a button from his old friend and a single beam emitted from the underside of the crystal, reflecting off the object in rays of varying colours.

The machine bore a striking resemblance to a miniature version of the Anti-Mass Spectrometer Gordon had worked with back at Black Mesa. The sight alone made his eyes widen and his heart thump faster in his chest as he felt himself becoming immersed in his memories.

()()()

"Gordon!" An alarmed voice screamed into the room's intercom once he pushed the crystal into the machine, "Get away from the beams!"

"We're shutting down!" Another voice called, strong, convicted tone churning to panic as the commands weren't being accepted. "At...Attempting shutdown." A longer pause followed, the sounds of blaring alarm klaxons drowned out by the unstable scanning beams resounding within the chamber like lighting as they broke through the containment field. "It's not…It's not—"

A single ray lanced out from the field in a horizontal pattern, one that impacted straight through the small viewport on the observation deck. Ear-shattering screams became the dominant sound, the discharging beam cutting through anything in its wake. Whatever statement the scientist was going to make was never heard.

No more voices sounded within test chamber C-33/a of the Anomalous Materials section of Black Mesa. Gordon tried to get those outside to open the blast door so he could escape the current part of the facility, but no-one answered his frantic banging. The physicist could only stand near the doorway as a complete catastrophe unleashed itself around him. Flashes of green light continued to bombard the room, overloading Gordon's retina. The sounds so loud they seemed to weaken his hearing as well, leaving the scientist to fear he was deaf. Without vision and with reduced hearing, Gordon found himself in a void.

The only assurance he had of not sharing the fate of his colleagues above was the muffled sound of his own heavy breathing.

()()()

"Gordon, you alright?"

The worried tone of Eli Vance brought the veteran out of the experimental catastrophe, but he didn't answer the question directly, his frantic eyes fixated on the reason for his slipping of reality and the MIT graduate quickly slammed his hand down on the activation switch, putting an end to the show.

"Don't….don't do that again," Gordon pleaded in a voice scarcely above a whisper. He felt a sense of anger at his overt display of such weakness and it only made him try harder to reacquire his neutral look.

"Take it easy Gordon," Eli spoke in a soothing manner, giving his friend a squeeze on the shoulder in a gesture of support. The Vance patriarch stayed there for a few seconds longer, only heading back to his workstation once he was sure his friend was fine.

Gordon jerked his arm away from the console once he realized his hand was still resting on it, unable to hold back a wince as he did so, the action flaring up more than a few of the pain receptors within his shoulder- courtesy of Civil Protection. The Resonance Cascade survivor's eyes travelled around the room, looking at anything but the machine beside him. His gaze eventually rested on a concerned looking Alyx, who was regarding him intently. She quickly diverted her eyes once she noticed that Gordon was looking straight at her.

The sound of an opening door was followed by the appearance of a person Gordon was already beginning to dislike, Judith Mossman. "Alyx, I thought you were on watch?"

Her disapproving tone gave the impression she felt Alyx was skimping on her duties and Gordon found his right hand tightening at the thought. He uncurled the newly formed fist as soon as he realized he'd made it, wondering why he was letting his emotions seep through so much. He'd like to attribute his lack of control to his memory slip, but knew that was just an excuse. The combatant took a moment to calm himself down, wondering why it was taking longer than usual to achieve a state that he felt should already be second nature.

"The Vortigaunts relieved me so I could come see Gordon," Alyx spoke lightly, seemingly unfazed by Mossman's unspoken insinuation. "Anyway, I should be here, working on the portal."

"I have the repairs well in hand," Mossman all but dismissed Alyx's statement. "_Someone_ misjudged the capacity of the Combine thyristor."

There was only the briefest of pauses before Eli's daughter leapt down from where she had been, advancing on Mossman. "Are you blaming me?"

It was both a query and a warning, one which the female doctor seemed to pick up on, for she made a placating motion Gordon was all too familiar with. "No, not at all. It was a calculation error not a mechanical problem."

Judith spoke as though she felt Alyx's talents lied more in the mechanical area, something which the Resistance member picked up on. "Then maybe you should let me do the calculations next time, as _well_ as installing it."

"Alyx really," Mossman spoke with a degree of shock. "Sometime I think you deliberately misunderstand me."

"Alyx," Eli smoothly interjected, not wanting the spat to intensify. "Why don't you take Gordon along and give him some practise with the Gravity Gun."

"Sure, C'mon Gordon," Alyx said, turning to the man in question and pointing her thumb towards a door to her right, a slight smile on her face. "Let's go have some fun."

Judith seemed to take offence at the very thought, her eyes snapping back to Alyx. "The Zero Point Energy—"

"Doctor Mossman," Gordon interrupted sharply as he strode past her, having noticed Alyx start to lose her smile. "Do us all a favour," The veteran continued once Alyx had opened the door she had indicated earlier, and was now waiting for him in the adjoining hallway, "Just shut up."

The door closed, leaving behind a shocked looking Judith and disapproving Eli.

Alyx only grinned at the look on the older woman's face, unable to contain her laughter once she and Gordon started proceeding down the concrete-tiled corridor. "Nice Gordon, I'll have to try that straight-forward approach of yours once in a while."

Now back to his neutral look, he only offered the woman a nod in acknowledgement.

Alyx led him to another hallway, one which featured a darkened tunnel that instantly grabbed the attention of both parties. For Gordon, the darkened section only put his combat senses on alert; enemies had a habit of lunging out of such areas. "That's the old passage to Ravenholm," The young woman spoke with a glimmer of fear in her eyes, arms wrapped around herself as though suddenly feeling cold. She turned to Gordon, "We don't go there anymore."

Only half registering her words, the combatant flicked on his suit's built-in flashlight and proceeded down the corridor, making sure to light every section as he made his own visual confirmation that the area was secure. It wasn't until he reached an enormous metal door that he realized Alyx had followed.

"We used to go right up there to Ravenholm. It was an old mining town inhabited by some escapees from City Seventeen." She turned to look directly at Gordon, "Trust me, that tunnel is sealed for a reason."

With that said, the Resistance fighter moved out of the corridor and towards another airlock. Once Gordon was standing beside her, Alyx inputted a strong of numbers into a wall mounted panel and the outer door slid open. The pair stepped into what could aptly be described as a baby canyon, rock faces ran up vertically for a good distance but Gordon found the lack of any type of ceiling extremely exposing, it was all he could do to keep his hands off his weapons.

"So, here we are," Alyx said with a smile as she turned to face Gordon, "The scrap yard."

The veteran didn't comment, however, his gaze lingering on the top portions of the landscape.

Alyx looked at him in confusion for a moment before she strode past him to face a small storage chamber constructed into the wall beside the outer airlock door. "This was the Gravity Gun my father was talking about." She turned to look at Gordon with a smile, "Doctor Mossman came close to saying its alternate name, the Zero Point Energy Field Manipulator." The smile turned into a frown after saying the name though, "But please, don't call it that."

A quick inputting of numbers in the nearby keypad and the glass tubing separating the device from the outside world was retracted. She withdrew the instrument from its slot, giving Gordon his first glimpse of the Gravity Gun. The weapon was about half as long as his crowbar, though far wider. Its curved handle in the back gave way to a handle-bar like design which allowed for greater control when using the device. A section of clear glass tubing showed off an orange glow, one that highlighted the three prongs that jutted out from the end.

After a quick run-through on how to make use of the weapon, Gordon met Alyx's robot companion, Dog. The eight-foot tall creation was a lattice work of powerful servo motors, heavily armoured plating, and scavenged Combine parts- most notably of which was his head, which had once been part of a Combine scanner.

Alyx quickly proclaimed that the two play a game of catch while she watched from the sidelines, an activity which Dog was all too happy to do. After being the one catching all of the wooden crates thrown at him, Gordon understood why. Their spectator suggested spicing up the scenario by telling Dog to get his ball, an object that turned out to be a captured Combine rollermine.

Gordon slowly raised the Gravity Gun to a ready position once Dog picked up his ball, part of him wondering how fast the object would travel in comparison to the simple crate he'd been capturing earlier. He got his answer when the device came flying toward him, its trajectory taking it just shy of the Gravity Gun's reach while it impacted into his injured shoulder.

The MIT graduate couldn't help but turn with the impact, only the slightest of hisses escaping his lips, it was a small taste of the agony he was able to largely ignore. Gordon sent the mine back to Dog, noticing that Alyx looked close to standing up as her gaze rested on him. He cursed himself for being so overt with his weakness, the impact itself could barely be felt with the HEV suit plating but it had made enough of an impression to disturb his recent wounds.

When the robot companion made another throw this time, however, Gordon was more than ready. He quickly lined up the Gravity Gun, waiting until the last possible second before letting the former Combine instrument snap securely into the device's hold.

"Good catch!" Alyx called with a wide smile.

It was a gesture Gordon found himself reciprocating, if only to a small degree. His gaze wandered away from Alyx and to the makeshift basketball hoop closeby. He looked at it for a moment, then fired the mine at the hoop. The small purple light brightened for just a moment as the improvised ball went through the hoop.

"Very impressive Gordon!"

The veteran's smile widened at the woman's words, holding for just the briefest of seconds before he realized what he was doing and hastily looked away, only moving his gaze back to Dog once his neutral look was back in place.

Alyx frowned while she studied Gordon's expression. His features had suddenly changed from a completely happy look to the same blank one he had worn during their first encounter. It left her wondering why he didn't show such emotion more often. Even though Alyx had caught that brief glimpse herself, it seemed more like a ghostly sensation, one that was there one minute and gone the next.

* * *

**"Just what hell does that mean?" How many others either thought or said that very same thing in response to Judith's statement the first time playing through Black Mesa East?**

**There you have a given reason to what I think Gordon would be feeling with regards to his...well, ensentially enslavement, to the G-man.**

**I know its definiely implied that Gordon is a strong-willed person, having the ability to tackle just about whatever obstacle is thrown at him. Even so, I can't help but feel that there should be at least some side-effects to his experiences at Black Mesa. I decided to give him one such scar, a minor dose of post-traumatic stress disorder (or whatever the hell it's called these days). **

**It would make for a realsitic scenario, really. I, myself, know someone who has that very same illness. Since he was a soldier (he's since retired due to his affliction), he received training to help him prepare for the type of unfortuante situations genrally encountered on the battlefield. Of course the reality of it still slaps you in the face.**

** So for Gordon Freeman, a scientist with no prior wepaons handling experience or training of any kind, to be thrust into a situation where his friends and colleagues are dying before his eyes would tend to leave a scar. **

**Then again, I suppose it could be argued that the G-man could have erased any such presence, since it would hinder Gordon's use to him.  
**


	3. Awareness

**Update before September...WTF**

**Well my two month intended stay at LFTC Meaford was cut down to a measely one due to a spinal injury I sustained. **

**I actually wrote this, during my absence, on paper and I have to say, it felt longer than 2,600 words.**

* * *

**Chapter III: Awareness**

"Dad, can I talk to you for a second?"

The voice of Alyx Vance stirred a pause in the conversation Eli was having with his Vortigaunt assistant. They were consulting a schematic for a new generator design, an attempt to improve the power storage and distribution through the base.

"Sure honey," The scientist said in response, dismissing the Vortigaunt in front of him with a flick of his wrist. "What is it?"

"Well," The young woman began uncertainly, chewing on her lower lip for several moments. "It's about Gordon."

Eli nodded patiently, feeling a twinge of amusement at his daughter's sentence; the idea of Alyx wanting him to play matchmaker between herself and Gordon at the forefront of his mind.

"He just seems so…cold."

Eli hadn't expected that, he shot her a surprised glance, part of him wondering whether there was another Gordon that he didn't know about.

"Not to me, or anyone really," She hastened to explain. "Maybe cold isn't the right word…" Alyx trailed off, searching for a better description. "He's more detached."

_Isn't he just_, Eli thought with a frown. The man's neutral look was only broken by sparse displays of emotion, the only thing that kept the scientist from labelling his friend as a robot. It brought up the question of what had happened to his friend to so radically change his behaviour. Even though he hadn't seen his old companion for two decades, he still clearly remembered the way the man used to act. Then again, Eli knew from experience that people tended to change over time. And twenty years was no small time span.

Alyx nodded slightly, her gaze lingering toward the door leading to the outside perimeter of the base. "It's almost like he doesn't care about anything. I mean, I had to practically drag him to the medical centre so he could get treated for his injuries. It's the second time I've had to force him to be tended to. I wouldn't have even known he was wounded if Dog hadn't hit him in the shoulder with a rollermine." The Resistance veteran was practically ranting by this point; Eli only continued to listen feeling as though she just needed to speak out loud the thoughts that had clearly been rampaging through her mind.

()()()

A concerned looking Alyx led Gordon through the upper section of Black Mesa East. After twenty minutes of playing with Dog, he had briefly expressed his desire to take advantage of a firing range before turning in for the night. Alyx had offered to escort him there and he had agreed. Before they moved to the firing range, however, Alyx planned to take him to the medical centre. She had noticed the stiffness in his movements after he had been hit with a rollermine. Alyx knew from experience that an impact by one of the spherical devices- so long as it was deactivated- would be incapable of causing such a thing, unless the individual was already wounded.

Given Gordon's earlier behaviour at Doctor Kliener's lab, she was completely confident that, once again, he was ignoring potentially life-threatening wounds. She didn't understand it in the slightest, when a rebel was injured he or she reported the wound, to not to do so would be to put one's life at risk.

He simply continued following Alyx as she led him through the first underground level in the Resistance complex, the informal barracks section of Black Mesa East. Lines of cots were positioned in small rooms, each one giving quarters to the many rebels present. The Resistance woman continued to shoot her escort worried glances, Gordon hadn't even said more than a sentence as she commented on the areas they passed.

Eventually the pair reached the medical bay, Alyx walking inside with Gordon only hesitating for a few seconds. As soon as the HEV clad man stepped into the brightly illuminated area, his female companion motioned to one of the examination tables lining the wall opposite the entrance.

"Sit." Her tone warranted no argument, not that the quiet veteran was ready to offer one as he did as instructed.

"Let me see your right shoulder."

Just like before, Gordon was unable to prevent his expression of surprise from showing. He recalled receiving a glancing blow from a pulse capsule, courtesy of a Hunter-Chopper that had been tailing him for half his journey out of City 17. Still, he'd taken care to hide the wound from those around him.

Instead of rolling her eyes like last time, however, Alyx's expression of concern and worry only grew. "Gordon, no-one flinches that much from a deactivated rollermine impact. Not unless they've already been…" She trailed off when she caught sight of Gordon's injuries. A huge gash ran across his right shoulder, the bleeding long since stopped by the suit's built-in medical systems, leaving only a cluster of dried blood that ran down his arm.

Still, the sight was more than enough to make Alyx gasp, "Oh my god! Gordon what the hell happened to you!"

The MIT graduate only shrugged in response, "Helicopter."

The Resistance woman only gazed at him in shock, scolding words dying in her throat with his apathetic display. She withdrew a vial of green liquid from a storage closet, the same type she'd given Gordon at Doctor Kliener's lab, save for the fact that, this time, the contents would be dispensed through injection. Placing the container into a needle tube, Alyx rubbed an alcohol solution onto the crook of Gordon's uninjured arm.

The young scientist looked into Gordon's green eyes, the needle hovering near its intended point of entry. "This is going to hurt Gordon, injecting this compound into the bloodstream will treat all your injuries at once."

With no response, save for the nod of acknowledgement by Gordon, Alyx eased the needle into the Black Mesa veteran and pumped the vial's contents inside. The Resistance woman expected to sit back and wait several seconds for the effect to take place. Instead, she found herself growing concerned once more, as Gordon's expression seemed to instantly change to a tight grimace, a slight hiss escaping his lips as the medical compound worked its way through all of his wounds.

Every injury he'd sustained in the past few hours, be it a simple bruise or gunshot wound was being healed in the span of only a few seconds. Even Gordon found himself unable to maintain his stoic expression, the sensation of his never set aflame was too much to bear.

It took a full minute for the reluctant soldier to retain his indifferent composure. Even then, the healing compound was still working through his system, making brief flashes of pain break his composure.

"Gordon?" Alyx tentatively asked, now feeling a concern of such magnitude that it surprised her. "Are you okay?"

Blank green eyes stared at her for a few moments, "I'll live."

Trying to resist the desire to exclaim in frustration at the man, Alyx could only nod as she watched him rise, searching for any sign of more injuries. Finding none, she escorted him out of the medical centre and led him to the firing range.

"Well," The Resistance veteran said as the pair stood outside Gordon's requested destination, "This is the range."

Alyx mentally cursed herself for how she sounded, part of her wondering why she was suddenly nervous. Gordon didn't really seem to notice, however, giving Alyx a nod in gratitude and sparing the briefest of glance in her direction before heading inside.

()()()

"Gordon's changed honey," Eli said as looked at his daughter. "He may not be the same man Barney and I told you stories about, not entirely anyway, but I'm sure some of those qualities still exist inside him. More could reveal themselves in time. Until then," The elder scientist said as he turned Alyx's head to face his smiling face, "It might be best to just learn who Gordon is _now _and not who he _was_."

Her father's gentle words and smiling face brought a similar expression to Alyx's own. "Okay Dad, I'll go see if I can find him then."

After searching for Gordon in all the likely places, the mess, barracks, outside the compound, the scrapyard, and even the medical bay, Alyx eventually made her way to the firing rnage. Though it had been the last place she'd seen him it had been five hours since then and she found it hard to believe anyone could stay in one place for so long.

Opening the small metal door barring entry to the compound's firing range, Alyx stepped inside. Only four 'lanes' were present, each one only several metres wide, enough for the placement of four targets side by side. Only one of the lanes was occupied, by the very person Alyx was trying to find, Gordon Freeman.

Spent shall casings littered the ground beside the HEV clad man, each one a mixture of 9mm, 7.62mm, and pulse capsule rounds. Various paper targets lay stacked on the edges of the booth Gordon was stationed in, the cutouts in the shape of metro-cops were barely recognizable with the amount of bullet holes in each of them.

Alyx couldn't help but admire the close groupings present with every few shots, not to mention the intense concentration present on Gordon's face as he continued to fire off more bursts from a shouldered pulse rifle. "Gordon!" Alyx shouted, both to be heard over the constant barrage of gunfire and to ensure he could hear her through the earplugs he was wearing.

The shouting seemed to work, for the Resonance Cascade survivor unloaded the pulse rifle and the set the weapon down once he was certain it was safe. Removing his earplugs, he only turned to regard the person who'd spoken.

"Nice shooting Gordon," Alyx complimented with a grin as she motioned to the targets she'd been admiring only seconds before. "You're one of the best shots I've seen here."

The One Free Man only shrugged in response, a silent expression for his lack of concern over such a subject.

Instead of letting her smile slip, as she'd done before with his apathetic displays, Alyx only asked if Gordon wanted to get anything from the mess before she showed him his accommodation. At the mention of food, the MIT graduate's stomach let out a hearty growl loud enough to make her smile just a bit wider. "I'll take that as a yes."

Without another word Alyx led Gordon through Black Mesa East, toward the kitchen area on the second underground level. The pair moved through the compound, passing by rebels and Vortigaunts alike as they moved through the mess itself and into the back kitchen where more of the alien lifeforms were present.

One of the creatures approached making Gordon tense involuntarily once again. "Gordon?" Alyx asked softly, "You okay?"

The veteran only nodded, though his eyes never wavered from the extra-terrestrial standing in front of him, the memory of a faint electrical attack still present in his mind. Then he shook his head, and the sensation was gone.

"Does the Freeman require sustenance?"

A nod from the man in question made the Vortigaunt reciprocate the gesture before turning his head to Alyx. "I do too," She spoke before the alien could ask her the same question. "Do we have any CP ration packs?"

"Apologies to the Alyx Vance, but we no longer have any such food available."

A sigh escaped the young woman's lips, "Headcrab soup it is then."

The Vortigaunt nodded, "A sample has already been procured, it will be served in but a moment."

Alyx and Gordon took a seat opposite eachother with the HEV clad man unable to stay silent over their choice of meal. "Headcrab soup?"

A slight smirk stretched across the woman's face at this almost pleading sounding query. "It's the only thing close to a good meal we can get around here Gordon, aside from CP rations. But then, you must already know about that."

Her statement ended with a confused frown, her teasing tone vanishing when she wondered why Gordon's perplexity- which she had first mistaken for a joke- seemed so genuine. The only things to eat in these times were headcrabs, CP rations, and the occasional treat when it came to things like bread. There was nothing else to eat and since headcrab were the more prominent of those choices, the chance of someone not having such a dish were extremely slim.

Just when Alyx was about to voice such questions, however, the Vortigaunt chef returned, a bowl of parasitic soup in hand. He set the bowls down between the two, said for them to 'enjoy their nutrients' before retreating back inside the kitchen.

The pair dug into their meals, Gordon trying to find a balance between eating normally and ravenously. Not having had the luxury to eat any food since the start of the Resonance Cascade, or his subsequent period in stasis, Gordon was left hungrier than he'd ever been in his life. His body had seemed to have gotten used to him constantly moving on a near empty nutrient storage, the awareness receding to the point where Gordon could easily ignore it. As soon as he took his first bite of food, however, his senses urged him to eat as much as he could, as though his body was trying to make up for a few days worth of hunger.

Surprisingly, Gordon found headcrab meat not too bad of a meal, he ended up eating three bowls worth of the sustenance in the time it took Alyx to eat one. The veteran was still hungry but, in the interests of not making his female companion wait for him, decided to claim he was full.

After a simple nod of gratitude to the Vortigaunt, something Gordon only did after Alyx's expressed thankfulness, the two headed for the barracks section of the compound.

"You've got a room all to yourself Gordon," The Resistance leader said as she motioned to the metal door she had halted beside. "In case you need something else, my room is only seven doors down to your left." She spoke with a pointed finger indicating the specified direction. "I don't want you wandering aimlessly around the complex just because you don't know where the bathrooms are."

Gordon only nodded to her before approaching his room, stopping after only a few steps when he realized that he had no idea where the bathrooms were in Black Mesa East. He turned to face a now grinning Alyx, "Seems you're already at a loss. Go down this hallway, take a left, and it's the second set of doors on your right."

The veteran nodded in acknowledgement, moving toward his room.

"Goodnight Gordon," Alyx called once he stepped inside.

The HEV clad man froze mid-step, looking back at the Resistance woman for the longest times, struggling between uttering a following remark or to simply nod once more.

He settled for the latter.

Despite the fact that Alyx's expression remained constant, there was a brief flash of disappointment in her eyes. It was something that made Gordon consider, if only for a brief moment, that he'd made the wrong decision. In the end, however, he simply turned away from her, closed the door to his room and turned in for the night, dreaming of events revolving around a sentence that disturbed a part of him, a part that, like his hunger, he'd almost forgotten.

_Seems you're already at a loss

* * *

_

**I can't helpt but feel that this isn't up to the standard I've set with the previous two chatpers.**

**After scouring through this numerous times, however, I couldn't find anything of real significance worth changing.**


	4. Shadow

**Special thanks to all of those who have reviewed, your words give me the motivation to continue with this.**

**It's good to know that the last chatper wasn't as bad as I had started to beleive. **

* * *

_**Chapter IV: Shadow**_

()()()

Through the thick blanket of night and the light fog immersing the former mining town of Ravenholm, Gordon Freeman moved with senses highly attuned, green irises scanning the area. A recently acquired SPAS-12 shotgun was cocked and in the veteran's shoulder, the once distant howls of zombies now sounded much closer.

"Stay close to me brother."

Facing the Orthodox priest that had provided immeasurable amounts of assistance to Gordon during his trek through the zombie infested area, Gordon gave a nod. "I will."

"Good," The bald, bearded priest said with a smile, his anabelle double-barrelled shotgun clutched tightly in his hands. The expression vanished, however, when he turned to face a metal gate blocking entry to the path beyond, "And tread lightly, for this is hallowed ground."

With that said, Father Grigori turned to scale the fence and cross into a depression with a rock face on one side and a gently sloping hill on another, Gordon right behind him. The pair didn't get very far along the dirt trail before a loud howl erupted in the night, a sound quickly followed by the sight of fast zombies approaching from the sloped hillside.

Switching to his pistol, Gordon took aim with his USP Match and fired off three shots. Each round found its mark, the agile headcrab attached to the zombie's face. The parasitic organism was shredded with 9mm rounds, leaving yellow gore to spray from the wounds as the creature itself detached from the body underneath. With no more commands to be received from the headcrab, the host body collapsed soon after.

The second zombie was dispatched with a well-placed shotgun shot to the parasitic creature perched atop the mangled body below; a marksmanship that was a testament to the priest's time in Ravenholm. The last undead creature jumped straight for Grigori, who was still in the act of reloading his shotgun after his previous kill. Gordon, seeing the immediate threat in the vicinity and with no time to fire his own weapon, closed the distance between himself and the priest, pushing the religious figure out of the way- only to have the zombie sink its sharpened claws into the shoulder plating of his HEV suit. Even the hardened armour granted by the protective attire was unable to shield Gordon from the sheer velocity behind the undead creature's jump.

The claws only sunk in halfway, however, before Gordon was able to put a burst of 9mm rounds into the zombie's centre, destroying what was left of the host's internal organs. With the creature slain, Gordon ripped the claws out of his body, his expression briefly tightening in a grimace as a spary of blood erupted from the wounds.

_Warning: Blood loss detected, morphine administered._

Cursing the annoying, and none too obvious, observation made by the suit, Gordon leaned into the nearby rockface to catch his breath.

"Brother!" Father Grigori shouted as he made his approach, a hand resting on his companion's uninjured shoulder. "Does the light still guide you?"

A short nod was the only response from Gordon as he ignored the pain and continued forward, his religious guide on point once more.

It was a short trek to a graveyard directly behind the priest's Orthodox constructed haven. An ironic fact, for the zombie growls grew louder with every step the pair took.

After scaling one last section of chain-link fence that blocked access to the cemetery grounds, Gordon and Grigori were immediately besieged by zombies. The parasitic infested hosts shuffled forward toward the potential victims in their midst, unintelligible shouts falling uselessly from their lips.

The priest was the first to open fire. "Rest now child," He bellowed after killing another undead lifeform, The light has not yet abandoned you."

As was Gordon's custom, the veteran withdrew his previously holstered SPAS-12 shotgun and charged forward, meeting the enemy head-on as he fired twelve gauge rounds at the incoming horde again and again. Occasionally, a lone headcrab would appear amongst the swarm of zombies, each one attempting to claim one of the humans in their midst.

Precise swings from the crowbar prevented the aliens from reaching such a goal, the One Free Man slinging his shotgun in an attempt to conserve ammunition.

"You will be released from this torment my child," Grigori continued firing, each shotgun blast dispatching another member of the horde, "For I know that you are but a vessel piloted by another, as does the lord."

A few more blasts and crowbar swings later and a pathway leading into the graveyard was exposed, a development both individuals were quick to capitalize on. The zombies that had once been leading a charge now found themselves shuffling in a pursuit course, stumbling after their would-be prey with a combination of issued growls and pleading moans.

In addition to the remaining undead creatures now following the pair, more were barrelling toward them from the front, the snippets of moonlight not trapped behind thick, dark clouds illuminating their monstrous features. Ripped open chests, elongated claws, and encrusted blood were the standard characteristics associated with these zombies. Though it truly was a disturbing sight, both men had seen their fair share of such things before, the fact that the first few zombies seen by both men had once been friends of theirs only encouraged them to work harder to end an existence assumed to be full of torment.

For Grigori, each parasitic controlled monstrosity was one of the many individuals who had sought consolidation at his church, people whose depressed mood had been lifted by the priest's comforting words. He had been the spiritual leader for the former inhabitants of Ravenholm, keeping those within his reach happier than originally thought possible in a time of such darkness.

Just when it was starting to look as though the town could exist without drawing the attention of the Combine, the unthinkable happened. Headcrab canisters fell from the sky by the hundreds, the waves of each bombardment numerous enough to encompass Ravenholm in shadow, a small taste of the horrors to follow.

Pushing the memory aside, the priest continued firing, spiritually induced rants falling from his lips with every kill. "You sought comfort in life and I provided it. Now, at the end, I shall do the same."

Gordon fired at the incoming creatures, targeting the aliens locked firmly onto what remained of the human heads beneath. Yellow blood exploded outward from every precise shot, the body pile growing larger in front of the veteran as more and more headcrabs fell from their host bodies and to the dirt ground below.

For the Resonance Cascade survivor, he had only been fighting for four days now, but he had seen far more horrific things in those ninety-six hours than most saw in a lifetime. A living witness to the Resonance Cascade, more than a few of his friend's deaths, and one of the first to encounter some of the strangest, and more aggressive extra-terrestrial lifeforms, from Xen, he had no shortage of horrifying experiences.

Firing at zombies now, Gordon had to fight to keep his focus fixed on the task at hand, lest his memories resurface from his first sightings of Black Mesa after stumbling out of test chamber 33/c.

He'd seen more than a few of his friends infested with headcrabs, and it was that reason alone that made the veteran fight as aggressively as possible, his determination strengthened by the task of ending the torment of others.

This shared ideology between Gordon and Grigori was what helped make them a highly effective team, a co-operation that enabled the two to bypass the second swarm of undead and move even further into the darkened burial ground in a matter of minutes.

The pair moved towards a raised stone platform, though the vantage height granted by such a position was only a few metres, it allowed Gordon to see the swarm closing in around the two fighters. Grigori immediately started shooting at the zombies, picking them off before the undead could approach. One such zombie was killed near a collection of propane tanks, the exiting buckshot on a trajectory for the highly reactive gas canisters. The resulting explosion ignited the dry grass below, casting a three by two metres patch of Earth in flame.

Ear-shattering screeches could be heard as the advancing horde stepped in the flames. Scorching zombies emerged with arms outstretched, their frenzied cries only silencing when they, themselves, collapsed.

"The cleansing flames will release you from this nightmare my children. Come forward and seize the freedom you have been denied!"

As if heeding the priest's plea, the zombies started to move toward Grigori in force- only to be engulfed in fire shortly after. It wasn't long before the way forward was clear, Grigori quickly ushering his armoured companion along. "Come quickly brother!"

Gordon, who had been tasked with stalling the advance of the undead still in pursuit, started backpedalling on the spiritual guide's summons, firing the last of his shotgun rounds into the mass of flesh before turning his slow withdrawal into an all out sprint.

The veteran met Grigori at a fenced gateway, one the priest was frantically pointing to. "Here is the exit I promised you brother. Our paths must diverge here, for my work is not yet done."

Gordon only shook his head in response, he'd come too far to just let his guide go to a possible death. If Grigori stayed, then so would he. He made such an intention clear by pulling out the only weapon he still had ammunition for, his USP Match.

The priest, however, would not be swayed. "You must go brother. My place is here, yours is not."

Grigori's last sentence was spoken when Gordon had shaken his head, the simple finality in the priest's statement changing the veteran's answer to one of reluctant acceptance.

With that, Grigori moved to a nearby column, one that held the control mechanism for the improvised gateway. Pulling back on the wooden lever Grigori opened the gate, holding it at a position just high enough for Gordon to roll under, which the MIT graduate promptly did. The fenced barrier slammed down immediately after with Grigori moving to the gateway itself.

"Farewell brother, I fear I deliver you to a darker place." The spiritual guide turned to his left as the sounds of zombie pursuit grew increasingly louder, only to see that the massive horde the pair first engaged was only five metres away.

Grigori turned to face Gordon, the smile on his face detracting from the emanation of madness that had been so prevalent in the priest's irises during their first encounter. For that brief moment, Grigori was just a determined man, not a mad, ranting priest with a fragmented heart.

"Look to your own," He paused to motion to the zombies, "Salvation."

The shotgun wielding Orthodox priest moved to a cluster of tombstones near the end of the graveyard, effectively backing himself into a corner. Mad laughter and shotgun fire resounded within the hallowed ground, making Gordon aim his pistol and lay down what suppressive fire he could. It didn't take more than a full magazine for the veteran to realize his efforts were futile. He reluctantly disengaged and headed for the mines, trying to ignore the point at which zombie growls started to replace a now fading laughter.

The One Free Man emerged from shadow, pressing forward alone, as he always did.

* * *

**Just wanted to touch on the finale of Ravenholm, exploring not only Gordon's character but Grigori's as well.**

**Once again I feel disappointed with the length, ideally the quality makes up for the quantity and hopefully you find that to be the case here.**

**Even so, the next chapter will be longer.**


	5. Subzero

**Chapter V: Sub-zero**

()()

Emerging from a long, sloped tunnel, Gordon was starting to wonder if being blind for a few seconds would be such a bad thing- the intense sunlight that greeted the veteran at the end of the passageway was more than enough to make him shut his eyes completely. After hours of navigating his way through the darkened alleyways and rooftops of Ravenholm and picking his way through the dimly lit mineshafts below, the sudden exposure to natural illumination was almost too much for Gordon's retina to withstand.

Eventually, however, the veteran was able to open his eyes completely and survey his surroundings. Train carts and railed cargo compartments were on a small railway track ten metres in front of him. Like the area he'd just come from, the tracks emerged from a tunnel. Faced with only two possible directions of travel, Gordon didn't even glance back at the darkened enclosure as he moved toward the right.

He didn't get very far, however, before he caught sight of a fast zombie moving towards him from the top of the railway cars. Fighting in Ravenholm and in the mines had depleted the majority of his ammunition, leaving him with only his crowbar, the gravity gun, and three rounds for his .357 Magnum. Not wanting to engage in melee combat unless he had no choice, Gordon quickly withdrew the modernized six-shooter, sighted his target- allocating enough lead to account for the quick movement- and fired off a single shot.

In the slightly enclosed space, the echo was greater than Gordon had expected, but the results were all he could have hoped for. The discharging projectile impacted directly into the headcrab parasite, cutting a devastating line through the alien's centre, leaving it to slump to the sparse layering of grass below.

With the immediate threat eliminated, the veteran continued around the bend, only to pull out his recently holstered handgun when the sight of four zombies lumbering toward him greeted his wandering eyes. Just when Gordon was about to fire off a shot, a far louder sound cracked the sound barrier, a noise the MIT graduate immediately identified as a high calibre rifle shot.

Ducking underneath an overhanging walkway, Gordon searched the rooftops for the shooter. His gaze eventually settled on the zombies, where he was surprised to find that two of the undead beings were sprawled out on the ground. Keeping his eyes fixed on that location, Gordon watched as a blue coloured laser sight swept the area, paused once it made contact with a zombie and disappeared long enough to be replaced by the sound of another shot resounding through the landscape.

The target was hit directly in the centre of mass by the projectile, a round Gordon was beginning to believe must have been of a fairly decent calibre to not only kill the zombie in one shot, with what would normally inflict only superficial damage, but also catapult it several feet back.

Poking his head out of the shadows, Gordon could see an open window on the other side of the above metal walkway. Though the area was shrouded enough in shadow for him to remain unaware of the shooter's location, the bright bluer laser served as a sufficient confirmation to him that someone was, indeed, inside.

The MIT graduate looked for a way to take advantage of his discovery, his gaze eventually resting on the train cars still present on the railway tracks. They looked to be of sufficient height to take Gordon to the walkway itself, so the veteran climbed aboard the last railcar. He moved back far enough to get a running start, orientated himself so that he was facing the window on the far left, took out his crowbar, and sprinted forward.

The energy in his suit allowed him to move just a little faster, enabling the MIT graduate to clear the ten metre gap with just centimetres to spare. A large swing from his crowbar cracked enough of the old window to allow his armoured form to deal with the rest.

Rolling onto the walkway, Gordon immediately looked to his right, to where he saw the rough origin of the laser sight. He'd expected to find the same Combine forces he'd dealt with during his journey to Eli's lab, Civil Protection. What he found himself confronted with, instead, was both similar and different at the same time.

Both wore masks, but where the metro-cops wore protective coverings of ghoulish white, this one wore a gray coloured faceplate with yellow coloured goggles. An immense amount of body armour covered it from head to toe, a sharp deviation from the light body suit worn by CP forces. The large sniper rifle in its grip clearly identified it as the mysterious shooter.

Gordon had intended to strike as soon as he had broken through the window, but his confusion at what exactly he was facing had been just long enough for the new Combine to start bringing its weapon to bear at the unexpected target in its midst. Long- range weapons were hardly ideal for close quarter battle, but with the two only a couple of metres apart, it didn't matter. All the shooter had to do was to snap the weapon in Gordon's direction and pull the trigger.

The veteran didn't give the Combine a chance, he charged the sniper and tackled him to the ground, narrowly avoiding a discharging round from the weapon. Gordon was in the process of raising his crowbar in preparation to strike when the shooter kicked out his right leg, sending Gordon back a few metres.

Scrambling to his feet, the MIT graduate closed the distance between the two. using the hooked end of his melee weapon, Gordon wrapped it around the sniper's left leg and pulled, sending the shooter sprawling to the floor on his back. Pressing the advantage, the veteran quickly raised his crowbar and jammed the hooked end in the sniper's chest as hard as he could, an action repeated twice more until a faint flatline could be heard.

With the shooter dead, Gordon stored his crowbar and picked up the weapon he'd almost been shot with at point blank. The sniper rifle was a two metre long weapon fitted with black plating. A large stock gave way to a powerful scope that functioned like its own HUD, detailing everything necessary to make the perfect shot, from wind speed and direction, to target distance. The body of the weapon itself was just one point three metres long, with the rest of the length determined by the wide, seven hundred centimetre long barrel. The powerful laser sight was fitted in a wedge built between both the scope and the barrel.

Gordon briefly wondered why a laser sight was mounted on the weapon in the first place, but the question vanished when the veteran brought the weapon to his shoulder and peered through the scope, a small blue dot indicating that the beam functioned as the weapon's improvised dot sight.

Having got a sense of the weapon itself, the MIT graduate's instincts took over as he started to figure out how the sniper rifle functioned. The first sounds of the rifle he'd heard had given him the distinct impression that the weapon was a bolt-action weapon. But with no visible cocking mechanism, Gordon was starting to doubt that hypothesis. Given what he'd seen of the Combine's equipment, the possibility of complete automatic functionality seemed more likely. His search for the weapon's magazine revealed a short, wide clip containing five rounds of what looked to be enlarged versions of the pulse capsules he'd seen earlier at Black Mesa East.

The analysis of the weapon complete, Gordon took a knee as he placed the barrel of the sniper rifle against the edge of the window, just enough for the flash suppressor to be a few centimetres out of the window frame. The veteran looked through the sight, slowly scanning the deserted train depot for anymore of the strange shooters. A brief flash from another walkway a couple of hundred metres away was Gordon's only warning before another loud crack reverberated through the desolate area, a large pulse capsule passing just centimetres away from his crouched form.

A growl escaped him at the unexpected attack. _This is why I hate sniper rifles_, Gordon thought as he quickly sighted on the last known location of the sniper, stilled his breathing long enough to ensure an accurate shot, and squeezed the trigger. Peering over the scope immediately after his shot, Gordon found it right on the mark. With no evidence of a kill, however, he returned his attention back to the scope. His caution was rewarded when another pulse capsule was fired off seconds later, the distinct impact of the large calibre round into the shoulder plating of his HEV suit impossible to miss.

The veteran grimaced at the injury, his left hand reflexively shooting to the injured spot on his shoulder before he checked the movement and forced himself to stay steady. He had a better idea of where the shot was coming from and he couldn't miss the chance to take advantage of it. Gordon shifted the rifle to the right at a two finger distance and fired off another shot. Even through the loud bang that followed, and the distance involved in the shot, the sound of an electronically garbled scream was unmistakable. The noise barely registered to the veteran, however, as he was already searching for more targets.

Finding none, Gordon discarded the weapon and climbed out of the walkway window, landing on the dirt only a few metres below. It only took a few minutes of picking his way through the deserted railway tracks before he could hear the distinct sound of a fire fight, discharging munitions and frenzied Combine radio chatter were too loud for it to be anything else. Gordon tracked the sounds to, what looked to be, an old train depot. The passageways he had navigated his way through, ones only narrow enough for two sets of train tracks to be placed side by side, widened to accommodate, what Gordon assumed, was a loading area for cargo.

_At least_, the MIT graduate amended to himself as he took in more of the surroundings ahead, _it probably was at one point_. Where Gordon once pictured cargo canisters and crates stacked to await transport, there was now an area littered with broken down cars, chips of concrete, and varying stacks of barrels that looked like oil drums. A chain-link fence separated the train tracks from the loading area, but a large gap in-between two sections looked as though it would allow access to the area beyond.

Gordon started moving toward hit, emerging from the shadow granted by an overhead walkway to a set of train cars left abandoned on the tracks. He moved as quickly as he could to the nearest train car, while forcing his armoured form to be as quiet as possible. He hadn't seen anyone near the old depot, but the sounds of discharging weapons were now a very close one.

"Unit 2-1 to 2-3, implemented containment protocols are failing, requesting more support."

The distinct sound of modulated voices, instantly set the veteran on edge, his hand withdrawing his magnum six-shooter from its holster while he tried to track the source of the transmission.

"This is 2-3, order acknowledged. Requesting permission to take the rest of the unit in."

"Denied, the zone must be kept secure."

"Understood 2-1, heavy firepower is inbound to your position."

The rapid shuffling of feet accompanied the end of the statement, the sound of heavy gear slapping against moving armoured forms was too close for Gordon's liking. He shifted his eyes to the left and right of him wildly, expecting Combine forces to start moving around the railway he was using as cover. Nothing happened however, and, after several tentative seconds, Gordon risked a glance from his cover toward the loading area.

He was met with the sight of Combine troops, wearing the same dark gray armour as the sniper he'd confronted earlier, moving into a large warehouse-like structure that looked as though it had been haphazardly constructed out of metal panels. Gordon's gaze switched to the Combine forces, tracking their movements. Unlike the Civil Protection teams he'd first encountered in City Seventeen, these Combine moved with a more professional quality to their actions, utilizing elements of military doctrine that the MIT graduate had caught snippets of from the Hazardous Environment Combat Unit marines in Black Mesa.

The thought of having to confront more soldiers wasn't the most appealing revelation he'd had since emerging into this strange totalitarian society. If they were anything like the HECU, he'd knew he'd be in for a challenge. He took a deep breath to steady himself, pushing his concerns aside while he surveyed what was left of the perimeter guard. Most of the units seemed to have moved inside to engage opposing forces. Gordon doubted that the soldiers would need reinforcements to take down zombies, which only meant that some citizens were putting up a fight.

Given what he'd seen on his way to Black Mesa East, the resistance fighters had only the most basic training, and seemed to be relied on for their courage more than anything else. Gordon could sympathize with that, for he had been privy to the same circumstances, but he doubted that the rebels would be able to hold out against Combine strike teams for long, no matter how courageous.

It was that knowledge that made him redouble his efforts to discover the enemy's strength. A couple of minutes passed before Gordon was confident he had the positioning of the perimeter guard's remaining five committed to memory. Their numbers had worried Gordon at first, for he only had two rounds left in his .357 calibre sidearm. The discovery of a soldier standing directly on the opposite side of the train car as he, had served to both alleviate and strengthen his fear. While the Combine's positioning made it possible for Gordon to silently retrieve another weapon for his use, it also brought up the chance of alerting the rest of the soldiers to his presence before he was ready.

As it always seemed to be the case for Gordon, time was against him, and he knew he'd have to act quickly if he wanted to help any rebels. Withdrawing his crowbar, Gordon dropped to a prone position and silently moved underneath the very railway car he'd been using as cover. It was far enough off the ground that he was able to easily crawl under without fear of his HEV suit making contact with the metal.

Sighting on his quarry once he was in position for attack, the veteran struck out with his right leg. The soldier dropped with a barely audible grunt, the force of the impact enough to send him sprawling to the dirt. Gordon capitalized on the impact, rolling out from underneath the railcar to a position where he was practically on top of the stunned combatant. Quickly pushing himself to his knees, Gordon grabbed a handful of the soldier's armour, pulling him up to almost face level.

He couldn't help but imagine a look of complete surprise beneath the soldier's helmet and it brought the briefest glimpse of a cruel smile to his face. "Looking for me?"

Gordon didn't give the soldier a chance to answer, however, as he pushed the combatant back to the ground and sent his crowbar hammering into the soldier's armour. Pained grunts escaped the infantryman with each impact as he feebly attempted to fight back. The MIT graduate gave him no quarter, however, only stopping the assault once the soldier's grip on his right hand went limp.

After taking a few deep breaths to steady himself, Gordon retrieved the soldier's weapon and braced himself in preparation for incoming fire. Nothing happened, however, so he moved in a low crouch next to the chain-link fence until he was able to get inside the loading area itself. The veteran shouldered his captured weapon, a pulse rifle, and sighted on the first soldier he could see. The Combine combatant was looking toward the area where Gordon had come from minutes ago and it gave him time to aim at the soldier's helmet and fire off a single, precise shot.

The pulse capsule hit its intended mark dead on, but Gordon's HEV clad form was already in motion the moment he squeezed the trigger. He threw himself to the ground, near one of the abandoned cars littering the concrete covered lot, narrowly avoiding retaliatory shots sent his way as the remaining three were alerted to the newcomer in their midst. The veteran moved back to a crouch against his place of cover, not even bothering to aim as he blind fired his rifle in short controlled bursts at a location where he knew one of the soldiers had remained fixed in place. His efforts were rewarded with a sharp, electronically modified scream, though the satisfaction was short-lived once the enemy started to return fire.

"Perimeter breach at zone six, tango is live and advancing! Two-Three requesting heavy support, we have no containment!"

Gordon didn't bother to listen to the response. Instead, he slammed his rifle down on the hood of the abandoned car, risked the briefest of glances toward the enemy's position, and fired his weapon. Pulse capsules were flung downrange by both sides, but while Gordon had the advantage of both cover and protective attire, the Combine only had their own armour for defence; they had been caught in a cross-fire at a location where no cover was readily available.

A few more bursts from the pulse rifle ensured that the skirmish was over quickly, leaving the MIT graduate free to sprint toward the corpses of those he'd just killed. The sound of advancing footsteps could faintly be heard over the noise of the intense engagement raging close by, but it was more than enough incentive for Gordon to quickly relieve the soldiers' corpses of the two grenades they'd been foolish enough not to make use of. He, however, was not so adverse to utilizing heavier firepower.

The sole doorway into the warehouse left Gordon with no doubt as to where he should throw the now primed explosive devices. Panicked warnings were issued the very moment they had been tossed inside, making it clear to the veteran that he had been cutting it close. Screams were mixed in with the deafening bang from the exploding grenades, testifying that a few soldiers had at least been injured- either by the blast itself or the resulting shrapnel.

Gordon moved in regardless, the small amount of smoke kicked up in the air helped to obscure his entrance into enemy territory, as did the lack of illumination in his immediate surroundings. The only source of light seemed to be large floodlights that had been placed at the back of the warehouse. Despite the lack of a decent light source, however, there was enough for Gordon to make out the forms of Combine soldiers as they started advancing toward rebel forces. Pulse capsules and various calibres of bullets arced through the air, impacting into metal panels and the steel girder columns spaced throughout the building as both sides tried to seek cover from the firestorm they had created.

The former Black Mesa employee brought himself to a low crouch, raising his head just high enough to look through the cracked glass of a dirty window that separated him from the skirmish. He put the Combine's number up at six, not as much as he had expected, but enough to make him cautious of how to proceed. There was hardly any cover in the warehouse itself, so Gordon didn't plan on charging their flank. Instead, he sighted through the top of his weapon, lining the rifle's iron sight up to target the closest soldier, squeezing the trigger once he had a solid lock. The trio of pulse capsules riddled through the window, instantly alerting the others to his presence as they tried to seek cover from a new threat.

The targeted soldier had no such time for reaction, however, his thick armour was punctured at the base of the neck, leaving the combatant to collapse to the ground writhing in agony at the searing pain coursing through his nerves. Gordon didn't spare the Combine infantryman another glance after mentally calculating a new kill. He merely panned his rifle to the next target and continued his assault.

"They're falling back!"

"Damn straight, push forward!"

The unmistakable sound of citizen shouts was met with the sight of rebels moving away from their position of cover, to the more open area in the building. _Pull back you fools_, Gordon thought to himself, shaking his head in wonder at how enthusiasm could lead to such reckless abandon.

With the resistance fighters pushing forward, the remaining enemy forces grew bolder. They moved away from Gordon's line of sight, placing themselves besides steel columns that prevented the veteran from getting a shot in. Cursing his turn of luck, Gordon made a snap decision. He pulled himself through the window he'd already shot to hell and advanced toward the remaining soldiers, moving at a sprint while he fired his weapon from the shoulder. The discharging pulse capsules impacted into the steel lattice works around the Combine, but they functioned as little more than glancing shots that only served to draw attention to Gordon.

But that was what he wanted.

A barely audible clack met the veteran's ears after he squeezed the trigger once more. He threw the now empty pulse rifle at the Combine soldier directly to his front, watching in satisfaction as twelve pounds of metal struck the combatant across his helmet, sending him reeling. He met the other soldier with his crowbar in hand, pummelling his opponent until he could see deep wounds through the thick layer of body armour. A burst of gunfire echoed throughout the building once Gordon rose to a standing position. He tensed in preparation for the all too familiar feeling of bullets impacting against the HEV suit.

Nothing happened, however, and when he turned around a few seconds later, he could see why. The soldier he'd thrown his rifle at had gone down hard from the impact, but he had only been stunned. It was the rebels that had killed him once he had started to recover, firing directly at the centre of mass. The veteran turned to face the resistance fighters as he made his approach, the party of four looking at him in awe. He spared a grateful nod to the one whose MP-7A was still raised, a silent expression of thanks for watching his back.

The man looked surprised for a moment before he smiled and nodded in turn. "Gordon Freeman, I can hardly believe it. Alyx warned us you might be coming up this way. She's been in contact with us on the radio, I'll try and see if I can reach her again." He motioned for Gordon to follow him to the back, but paused after taking a few steps, turning back to the others. "Jess, I want you to start a head count. We need to know how many we lost."

The female, a medic, if the red cross patches on the shoulders of her resistance uniform were any indication, gave a solemn nod in reply. Her gaze briefly drifted to a rebel corpse next to them, "Sure thing, Leon."

Gordon followed her gaze to see a few more rebels dead on the floor. A completely alien feeling rose within him at the sight, so much so that he didn't recognize it at first. _Guilt,_ he asked himself in confusion. He supposed he could've found a way to get here quicker. The veteran mentally snorted at his own train of thought, viciously stomping the feeling down while his eyes remain fixed on the lifeless rebel bodies. _The dead don't care that they're dead_. The thought ran through Gordon's mind, giving him more than enough resolve to look away from the sight.

"Hogan, start stripping the bodies of essentials and bring it all inside." Leon continued, "We'll need it if the Combine decide to initiate another raid."

The appointed rebel nodded in reply, moving off to do as instructed. "I'm on it."

"And Winston-,"

"Let me guess," The chosen rebel spoke with a frown, "Sentry duty?"

A grumble escaped Winston once Leon nodded in answer, as he lumbered off to the warehouse entrance. "They don't pay me enough for this."

"A standard complaint, but pointless, considering that we _don't get paid at all_!"

Hogan's sarcastic shout brought a brief smile to Leon's face before he turned and continued moving to the back of the building, pausing once he came to a door. "It's Leon," He said after knocking on the entryway three times, "We're all clear."

A woman opened the door soon after, widening eyes settling on Doctor Freeman before she seemed to shake herself out of her awe. "You're just in time Leon, I've been talking with Alyx on the radio." Her gaze drifted back to Gordon briefly before she looked at Leon again, "Its not good."

A nod met the woman's reply before Leon motioned for Gordon to follow him once more. The MIT graduate followed his escort, feeling the ghost of a knot beginning to form in the pit of his stomach. The way the woman had looked at him the second time had been more compassionate than full of awe, as though the news affected him directly. He found the prospect less than appealing.

Leon led him to a small communication hub, which was little more than a cluster of old equipment grouped together. The only objects he felt warranted his attention were the radio and small monitor placed on the table, the latter of which had Alyx's face seen through a sea of static. "Alyx, its Leon."

"Leon? Diane told me you guys were under attack, everyone okay?"

"For the most part," Leon replied, his voice a little quieter than before. "We lost a few and we've got two that are wounded but they're already being treated. It probably would've been worse if we hadn't been reinforced." He moved aside after saying this, allowing Gordon to step into view.

Even though the image on the screen was distorted beyond words, he could've sworn he saw Alyx's face lit up at his appearance. "Gordon! You made it through Ravenholm, thank god!" She seemed to sober up considerably after her statement, however, to the point where even Gordon looked mildly troubled. "I need your help Gordon. They've...taken my father."

The veteran felt his blood run cold at that, a sweeping chill that pressed all other concerns aside. _Eli captured_, the thought alone was enough to allow him to ignore his grievous wounds and the fatigue that had been settling in for quite awhile. Adrenaline coursed through his system, filling him with renewed vigour and an unbreakable sense of determination. "Where is he now?"

"Nova Prospekt." Alyx responded, her voice sounding much stronger than it had before. "The Vortigaunts tracked the ship that made off with him and Judith Mossman."

Gordon couldn't help but cast a suspicious glance to the Vortigaunt that stood only ten metres to his right. Barney had told him that he had been about to 'board the express to Nova Prospekt' after he had arrived in City Seventeen. From his tone of voice, Gordon gathered that the area was one of the worst locations imaginable. The idea of the Vortigaunts setting up the resistance entered his mind. Part of him instantly dismissed it as ridiculous, for he hadn't seen the aliens in better care under the Combine's banner during his short trek through City Seventeen, giving them no motivation to want to switch sides. That part of him, however, was substantially small in comparison.

"I'm going to hitch a ride on one of the Combine supply trains and sneak in that way." Alyx continued, recovering from the pause brought on by her brief confusion over Gordon's behaviour. She could have sworn he had scowled as soon as the mention of the Vortigaunts passed her lips. She couldn't even imagine how someone could not trust the Xen life-forms, they had contributed a great deal to the resistance since its founding. Even Barney had respect for them, which was saying something.

"Gordon, I need you to make your way along the coast and make your way into Nova Prospekt. We'll meet at the train depot, in the unloading platforms."

Leon, who had been listening to Alyx intently, shot her an incredulous look. "Are you insane? Nova Prospekt was once a high security prison, remember? The Combine didn't choose it for the real estate factor."

"Doesn't seem that we have a choice," Gordon said before Alyx could even respond. "Just point me in the right direction and I'll get there."

"Maybe so Doc," Leon said after gazing at the man in wonder with how easy and simple he made it sound. "But it's also spawning season for the antlions, you'd be crazy to go there on foot."

"That's why I called you Leon." Alyx spoke slowly, the sheer conviction in Gordon's voice was a welcome deviation from his typical apathetic displays. "I was hoping you still have that scout car, the one my dad rigged with the tau cannon."

Once Leon gave an affirmative nod and told someone named Norko to bring the buggy out, he switched the radio frequency back to Alyx's channel. "We're all set here Alyx."

"Thanks Leon. Gordon," There was just the slightest pause in her statement, "Take care of yourself and I'll see you in Nova Prospekt."

The MIT graduate hadn't really paid much attention to the conversation after he had said his piece. His focus had been drawn to a nearby map tacked on the wall, the lambda insignia denoting the location of rebel outposts along the coast road. He could see no scale on the map, however, and was left wondering just how far his journey to Nova Prospekt would really be. He didn't care about potential hazards along the way, all he cared about at the moment was getting his old friend out from the Combine's clutches.

Hearing his name, Gordon pulled his gaze away from the map and back to Alyx. Beyond tired of all the standing around, he acknowledged her with a curt nod. Whatever her reaction was to his familiar blank display, he never found out. Leon gave his own statement of farewell before switching the frequency and ushering Gordon on his way. He did just that, quickly making his way to the dune buggy like vehicle out at the back of the warehouse and strapping himself in.

_I won't let you down Eli. Not this time._

* * *

**Special thanks to HedyLamarr, Lynari, and IUSEDTOBECRAZY (Heh, I think anyway) for your reviews on the last chapter. Your praising words are much appreciated.**

**I say longer chapter and BOOM, longer chapter. it would've had more length to it, but I decided to shift things between this chapter and the next.**

**Speaking of which, chapter six is going to give you a few surprises. I guarantee it.**


	6. Revelation

_**Chapter VI: Revelation  
**_

()()

The sound of creaking metal made Gordon tense for the unfathomable time since entering Nova Prospekt, his SPAS-12 shotgun was already primed and in the shoulder while his eyes darted between the chunks of concrete and enormous metal barriers he found himself surrounded by, scanning for a threat. Finding none, Gordon moved down a narrow alley he'd been forced into, in his haste to avoid being crushed by an extending metal wall. He moved through an almost maze like construction of narrow passageways and large holes he was quite sure had not been part of the complex's blueprints.

The veteran had first considered the antlions he engaged on his way to the prison to be both predictable and pathetic. That assessment had changed, however, once he'd come face to face with the antlion guards. The towering monstrosities made their smaller counterparts look like ants in comparison and their devastating attacks put the others to shame. In the sandy ravine where he'd encountered his first guard, he hadn't really been able to see the full range of their capabilities.

All that had changed after he'd stepped into Nova Prospekt. He'd seen the creatures tear their way through files of Combine soldiers and even smash through layers of solid brick walls. The smaller antlions weren't nearly as destructive, but what they lacked in ability they made up for in sheer number. Gordon had been privy to witnessing more than a few of the large insects tear into the very foundation of the prison itself, which helped to explain why there were holes in the pathway he was currently moving through.

In fact, it seemed that the antlions had been all too successful in their rampage. Gordon could remember the mechanical female voice associated with Overwatch issuing orders for the trans-human combatants to fall back from the old prison. It wasn't too much of a stretch for the veteran to assume he was now in the Combine addition of Nova Prospekt. The increased presence of the stark gray metal lining the passageway walls Gordon was moving through seemed to favour such a theory. It was a material he'd seen the Combine use all too often.

The sound of a train horn bellowing throughout the complex surprised Gordon, to the point where he visibly recoiled. It wasn't so much the sound itself, for he had hoped he had been getting close to the train depot, but the fact that it was obnoxiously loud- something that testified to how close he was really getting. After rounding another corner, he found that he was, in fact, very close to the train depot. Through metal slats, embedded to Gordon's left, in the darkened passageway he found himself in, he could see a Combine train shooting past.

He expected the passageway to lead up to the unloading station above but, instead, discovered a staircase leading down. With nowhere else to go, save back the way he came, the MIT graduate continued pressing forward. The dimly illuminated corridor soon gave way to one of bright illumination, a metal grated ceiling giving Gordon a view of the platform he was still trying to find his way on. Distant floodlights bathed the entire area in the Combine's favoured blue hued lighting, letting the former scientist catch glimpses of large pods moving along a sort of rail system at the top of the large chamber above.

_Wonder what they're transporting_. The internally spoken query intrigued Gordon for a moment before he brushed the thought away, recognizing it as a pointless distraction. The priority was finding Eli and he'd already wasted enough time just trying to get inside Nova Prospekt itself, let alone his trip to the unloading area. With that in mind, Gordon tore his gaze away from the sight and continued forward, stopping when he found a staircase that led to the platform above.

A series of gun-shots met his ascension onto the unloading station, forcing Gordon to seek cover behind a nearby terminal while he tried to see the soldier who had just fired a few shots. It didn't take him long, however, to realize that he hadn't been the target of the barrage, Alyx Vance had. She looked to have been caught unaware while she typed in commands on a terminal like the one the former Black Mesa employee was using as cover. Gordon sighted on the Combine soldier and raised his shotgun, his finger just shy of squeezing the trigger, when the trans-human fell to the deck, a burst of rounds from Alyx's pistol having torn through his helmet.

Gordon lowered his SPAS-12 as he made his approach, not even bothering to be quiet as his armoured boots thudded against the metal grating. Alyx spun around the moment he had started moving toward her, dropping into a low crouch as she pivoted on her heel. Her pistol was still raised and, for a brief moment, Gordon thought she was going to fire. The woman's eyes showed recognition instead, however, and she hastily lowered her sidearm. "Gordon?" Her voice portraying a combination of disbelief, excitement, and relief, only lasted a moment before she took on a more scolding tone. "You scared the crap out of me. I almost shot you!"

A shrug met her statement, showing Gordon's lack of concern over her observation. He'd already been riddled with bullets more times than he could count since acquiring the suit, one more wouldn't have made that much of a difference.

It didn't seem possible to look at someone with a mixture of worry and anger, but Alyx seemed to pull it off quite smoothly while she regarded Gordon. His apathy was beginning to grate on her nerves and, from the look of his HEV suit, he clearly went into combat with the same lack of feeling. The protective attire was riddled with bullet holes, dented in various places, and caked with enough blood for Alyx to find herself hoping it was not Gordon's.

Trying to take her father's earlier advice on the man to heart, Alyx forced down the admonishing words that came to mind and, instead, withdrew a familiar looking green vial from one of her belt pouches. She had slipped it on her person the moment she knew Gordon had escaped Ravenholm, having learned enough about him to know that the probability of him having been injured was extremely high. "Here," She said once he had stopped in front of her, holding out her hand for him to take it. "I took this for you after getting in touch with you at Shore Point. I know you probably need another injection," She continued with slightly narrowed eyes, "But this is the best I can do right now."

The veteran moved towards her, left hand outstretched. But instead of taking the vial like she expected, however, he gently curled her fingers back around the container. He looked her straight in the eyes, an unreadable emotion briefly passing through his forest green irises. "Don't waste it."

With that said, Gordon stepped back from her, his gaze drifting up to the pods he'd seen earlier as though nothing had been said. Alyx could only stare at him in disbelief, her mind almost unwilling to accept that anyone would consider themselves to be less deserving of medical treatment than another. _Is that why he looks like he's been shot to hell?_ Alyx mused to herself. _Does he go out of his way to protect other resistance members?_

Her private questions were left unanswered and she ended up pushing the thoughts to the back of her mind once she followed Gordon's gaze toward the pods on the railing system. "My Dad's up there somewhere."

Her quiet voice brought the veteran's gaze flicking toward her briefly. _He won't be for long_.

It took Alyx a moment before she was able to forcibly tear her eyes away from the sight, a deep breath escaping her. "Let's get out of here."

She moved toward a Combine security door barring access to the rest of the compound, a quick use of her EMP tool disabling the electronic lock and letting the door slide apart. The pair boarded an elevator on the other side, waiting as the lift began its slow ascent. "I'm moving about this a bit blindly I'm afraid Gordon. Every now and then a Vortigaunt gets captured and sends back information, but we still only have a partial picture of this place."

A clear snarl worked its way onto Gordon's face the moment Alyx mentioned the alien life forms. All of his encounters with them, whether they be those at Black Mesa or here in City Seventeen, had done nothing to convince him that the creatures were on everyone else's side. Though one had seen fit to equip him with the pheropod from an antlion guard, it had only done so after he had killed the creature. The Vortigaunt hadn't bothered to help him during the fight itself.

Gordon had even found the dead body of a Vortigaunt that had been tortured to death by the Combine during his trek through Nova Prospekt. He had gazed down at the corpse with a feeling of justification, a sensation followed by a cruel twist of amusement when he realized that the creature had been shocked to death. _Ironic_, The MIT graduate had thought as he'd gazed down at the dead alien's slouched form. A snort had escaped him once he had turned away from the sight and moved on. _Good riddance, you bastard_.

The veteran's sharp disapproval of the Vortigaunts went unnoticed by Alyx this time, her attention fixated on the thick metal door that came in view through the elevator entryway. She turned to Gordon to tell him to get ready, only to see that he was already prepared; his shotgun was gripped in his right hand while he absently bounced a grenade in his left. A soft beep signalled that the elevator had reached its destination, the metal grated door sliding apart to reveal a corridor to the pair's front and right. A particle field was active only a metres into the hallway to their front, preventing further access.

Two Combine soldiers stood guard nearby, gripped MP-7As raising to their firing shoulders. Gordon didn't give them a chance to shoot. He yanked the pin out of his grenade and hurled it at their position, sending the trans-humans scattering for cover. The action was swiftly followed by a charge, his SPAS-12 back in his shoulder as he fired off shell after shell from the pump-action weapon. Both the soldiers had been able to clear the lethal radius of the grenade by the time it detonated, but they were far from able to protect themselves from the resulting shrapnel. They were only able to offer more than token resistance before they fell to the One Free Man.

Alyx only stood there, staring at Gordon in bewilderment. He'd moved so fast all she found herself able to do was lay down cover fire. She shook herself out of her stupor when she realized that Gordon was patiently waiting for her by a Combine security room. The resistance fighter moved toward the main terminal inside and started hacking her way into the Combine security network. She brought up a list of rebels that had recently been captured, almost wishing she didn't as a storm of unfamiliar of faces appeared on the monitor. "Oh my god, these poor people."

As usual Gordon opted to keep quiet, particularly since he knew that his thoughts on the situation would not help matters.

"There!" Alyx exclaimed in relief a moment later when Eli could clearly be seen on the monitor. She typed in a string of more commands, her expression changing from worry to determination. "Alright, I can bring him to one of the processing bays." She stepped away from the console a moment later, looking out the control's viewport. Gordon was wondering what she was doing, but the sight of a pod moving along the railing system forestall the need for such a thought. "C'mon Gordon, let's go meet him!"

Alyx ran out of the control room without another word, leaving Gordon to stare at the spot where she had been before he ran after her. She had already disabled the Combine security field by the time he had started catching up with her. The dead sprint she resumed right after, however, put even more distance between them.

Gordon's only thought of how foolish she was being, her excitement was leading her to run directly into possible enemy territory. "Wait!"

The young woman either didn't heed his warning, or chose to ignore it, for she continued running forward. An almost distant sounding cry rang in Gordon's mind, a screamed shout in his own voice for a scientist to get down.

()()

()

The halls of Sector D inside Black Mesa were rife with destruction. Broken equipment, chipped concrete, exposed wires, and smoke were all prominent through the corridors that had once been nothing short of immaculately clean. All of it spoke of a research facility that had witnessed a catastrophe, a fact that was nothing short of true. Gordon Freeman moved through a sort of improvised storage area, a recently acquired SPAS-12 shotgun shakily placed in the shoulder. He tried to keep his eyes fixed on the room in front of him while he slowly looked for more threats.

He'd recently learned that the rescue everyone had hoped for would never arrive. The government had launched a military operation with two directives, exterminate any and all aliens and silence all Black Mesa personnel still alive in the research facility.

Gordon had heard of the term 'cleaning house' before, but he'd attributed it to the tales of crazy conspiracy theorists, or simply something Hollywood liked to use in their extravagant cinematic creations. The thought of an operation launched to silence civilian personnel, to murder U.S citizens, had never come close to crossing the physicist's mind as something that could actually happen. But, here he was, running from a contingent of special forces soldiers who were scouring the area for him.

A steady breath escaped the Black Mesa employee before he pushed his thoughts aside and tried to keep his focus fixed on the task at hand. _Think about it later_, he chastised himself, _All that matters now is survival_.

He was moving through a room stacked with crates, the fact that it was deserted did nothing but set him on edge. Gordon came to a slow halt, straining his ears to listen for the slightest hint of an HECU presence. No radio transmissions or movement could be heard, but Gordon didn't move yet. there was something just inherently wrong walking into a room completely devoid of any traces of life.

"Gordon, shouldn't we keep moving?"

The tentative query was posed by a scientist Gordon had never met before today, but one who had identified himself as Doctor Rick Wilson. Gordon had rescued him from becoming a bullsquid's next meal and had offered to help him escape. Rick had gratefully agreed and had been assisting Gordon in his journey for what seemed like hours.

Despite the amount of time that had passed, however, Gordon knew that Rick was far more apprehensive than he. He couldn't blame his fellow scientist. They were immersed in something only previously seen in a horror film, or from one's own imagination. Still, he wished the man could at least start to get a grip on himself.

Gordon pressed a finger to his lips at Rick's question, a silent demand for him to keep quiet.

The command was heeded, but the distant sounds of alien growls were making the man exceedingly nervous, as though he felt that every extra-terrestrial lifeform in the facility was after him. His eyes were fixated on the area behind them, as though waiting for a sign of danger. Rick unconsciously began moving backward. By the time, either he or Gordon were aware of his actions, the scientist had inadvertently stepped through a motion sensor beam.

A flurry of radio traffic met the contact, a sound that made Gordon throw himself down into cover near the closest stack of crates, a reaction that was quickly becoming instinctual. Rick, however, remained where he was, eyes widening in fear as the distinctive voices of HECU marines could be heard.

"We got a hit! Motion sensor in section 9A just registered movement."

"It looks we got visitors. Move in! Move in!"

Gordon braced himself for incoming fire, his eyes frantically searching for where Rick was. His eyes widened in disbelief when he caught sight of the man, he couldn't believe the scientist was still standing there. There were stacks of crates right next to him, all he had to do was crouch low and make his way over to him.

"Rick, get down!"

The addressed man didn't react at all, he stayed rooted to the spot, frozen in fear. Gordon shouted one more time, trying to move forward even though he knew it was futile, there was too much distance between them.

The man looked back at Gordon, eyes pleading for assistance. Incoming fire from HECU personnel riddled through the scientist's body, leaving him to slump to the ground in a pool of his own blood. Most would have screamed in rage at the sight, but Gordon found himself unable to do anything more than gaze on in horror. The hazel irises that once pleaded for assistance were still fixated on Gordon, only this time there was nothing but a vacant stare.

()()

()

Gordon snapped back to reality, the last image seeming to be burned into his retina. His heart was beating dangerously fast, his pupils were dialated beyond words, and his mind was filled with only one directive: protect Alyx Vance. She was even further ahead of him by now, but Gordon only pushed himself into a full-on, HEV empowered sprint. His limbs were wallowing in agony, a combination of over-exertion and pain from all of his injuries. The veteran didn't stop, if anything, he only pushed himself harder.

Alyx was close to turning to head up a staircase when Gordon finally came within arms reach of her. He quickly extended his left hand and grasped onto the hood of her Black Mesa sweatshirt, pulling her back towards him. A shouted indignant exclamation was just beginning to storm from her lips before Gordon firmly moved her against the wall. Whatever the woman was about to say looked to have died in her throat when she caught sight of Gordon's expression.

"Do _not_ move," Gordon said in an almost frantic plead before he worked his way up the staircase Alyx had just been about to ascend.

As expected, Combine soldiers were indeed present in the above level, but a hail of shotgun blasts from Gordon's SPAS-12 silenced the six strong opposition not long after they appeared. But though the threat was eliminated, the veteran found himself unable to regain his senses. His mind kept drifting back to the memory that had just played out in his mind. Suddenly tired, Gordon slumped against a wall, gradually sinking to a sitting position.

_Why didn't he listen?_

The ambush had done little against Gordon. Some of the HECU, for all their tactical prowess, left something to be desired when it came to intellect. With the scientist dead, they had believed the area to be secure. Gordon had proven them wrong. But though his desire for vengeance had been satisfied, it did nothing to quell the guilt he felt when he looked at Rick's corpse.

_I'm sorry._

The MIT graduate had walked away after that, pushing forward in a manner he would prefer for the rest of his trek out of Black Mesa, alone.

"Gordon?"

The softly spoken query came from the nearby staircase, testifying to Alyx's close proximity. He didn't answer, he couldn't trust his voice to be steady, even if he could form the words. Rapidly moving footsteps could be heard soon after and it made Gordon fight to overcome the memory still plaguing his mind. He rose to a standing position, gripping his shotgun in a death grip while he tried to bury his feelings. His apathy was a shield, one that protected him from the dark recesses of his own past and kept him sane, allowed him to keep going.

By the time Alyx bolted out of the stairway, Gordon felt he had been successful. It wasn't until Alyx's concerned queries could be heard that he realized that such a thing wasn't entirely true.

"Gordon, are you alright?"

The veteran practically whirled around to face her fully, anger flashing in his eyes. _What the hell were you thinking?_ The words were on the tip of his tongue but he didn't say them, believing the statement was brought on more from the last remnants of the memory he was still fighting to suppress than anything else. He nodded at her instead, after a brief pause to collect himself.

Alyx looked as though she were going to say more, but Gordon didn't give her the chance. He started walking down the rest of the corridor, pausing briefly to look back over his shoulder, as if to ask whether she was coming. The woman looked at his moving form for several moments before warily following, confusion dominating her senses.

Gordon had looked as though he were suffering from an extreme bout of fear before he had charged up the staircase. His pupils were dilated so badly they almost looked like his natural eye colour. It had brought her concern to new levels, left her wondering what could possibly have caused such a reaction in someone like Gordon. Her previous encounters with the man made it clear that he was struggling with something, but he'd remained steadfast in his apathetic stance, varying only briefly enough for Alyx to catch glimpses of emotions too strong for him to suppress.

She pushed away her thoughts once she came to the security door barring access to one of the many processing bays in Nova Prospekt. Eli's pod was clearly visible outside of a cylindrical observation window inside, a nearby display showing the intricacies of human anatomy and neural structure. The young rebel had to fight the urge not to shiver at the sight, the thought of how many other citizens had been surveyed for 'cybernetic potential' was more than a little troubling.

A string of inputted commands into the bay's main interface controlled the pod locked into the railing, allowing the outer casing to unfold and for a smaller pod carrying Eli to emerge. The man seemed to shake his head as if coming out of a trance. He opened his eyes, the brown irises taking in the two faces around him. The resistance leader almost jerked back in surprise when his gaze fell on Gordon and his daughter. He blinked a few times, as though trying to see whether his eyes were playing tricks on him.

"Alyx? Gordon? I can't believe you found me."

Gloved hands pressed against the glass separating Eli from his daughter, Alyx looking at him in concern. "Dad, are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Eli said in assurance, "But you..." His expression briefly conveyed a look of fear at the sudden implications his daughter's presence in here meant. The thought of her becoming a mindless slave for the Combine sent a shiver through his body, it was a fate far worse than death. "You've got to get out of here. It'll only mean bad things if they catch you here, of all places. Get out while you can."

"No," Alyx said in stubborn determination, "We're not leaving you here."

"Don't worry about me, save yourselves."

His daughter only looked at him with narrowed eyes, letting Eli know that, if anything, he'd just convinced her more. "I think I can get us out of here by using the Combine's teleporter."

"But where will you go?"

"I talked to Doctor Kliener, his teleporter was almost working again. If he's repaired it, we'll end up there. If not well," She trailed off, thinking of a possible alternative before she simply shrugged and looked at her father. "There aren't too many places worse than this."

"Its not worth the risk to you Alyx," Eli tried once again, putting a pleading tone into his voice. "I can't lose you."

His concern did nothing to sway Alyx, however. "We're not leaving you, Dad. That's final!"

The punctuated gesture with her hands made it clear to Eli that he and Alyx were just digging in ground, neither willing to give way to the other. He had been involved in enough disputes with his daughter to know that there was no point in continuing arguing when such a thing happened, both of their stubborn natures just made things worse. A deep breath escaped the resistance leader before he looked back at Alyx. "We can't leave Judith either."

Gordon had been following the conversation in a some-what distracted manner, focusing more on Eli's words than Alyx's. His old friend's directives seemed to mirror his own. Work to save others before yourself. The difference between them was that Eli did what he did out of a sense of love and compassion while Gordon did so over a simple disregard about his own well-being. The veteran was testing just how far he could push things, wondering if his 'employer' would let him die if it came to it, of if he would simply revive him to continue the struggle. He believed such a thing to be in the G-Man's power, but he wasn't really sure. Gordon hoped it wasn't, the idea of forever being shackled was far from comforting.

"Don't worry Dad, we'll find her." Alyx said, her words redirecting Gordon back to the conversation and away from the very thoughts his apathy normally protected him from. "For now, I'm going to send you to the teleport chamber. I'm not saying goodbye Dad, we'll meet you there."

A warm smile came from Eli at his daughter's words. "I know you will."

The MIT graduate watched as Alyx moved back to the control terminal, feeling a combination of exasperation and understanding. The exasperation stemmed from his numb persona, one that found the last statements issued by Alyx and Eli to be exceedingly pointless and time wasting. The other sensation, however, came from a part of him that stubbornly refused to immerse in apathy, a part of him that wanted things to be different.

_It's too late for that. There's no going back._

_

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_

**Thanks to HedyLamarr and Felicity101 for their reviews on Chapter V. Comments such as yours are always welcome. Heh, at least I know the story isn't boring, right?**

**Another memory from Gordon's past, and that's only a small sample of things I plan to touch on in Black Mesa.  
**

**There will be one more chapter on Nova Prospekt before I consider the prison section wrapped up and start moving along**** with the rest**_**.**_


	7. Falling

**_Chapter VII: Falling_**

()()

"I'm seeing more incoming soldiers."

Alyx Vance's calm voice sounded from Gordon's suit radio, making him stop in his tracks after firing off a burst of pulse capsules into another Combine soldier. He was in a prison block in Nova Prospekt, block D-8. He'd made his way through multiple areas of the complex. splitting up from Alyx at a security station after the pair had made a disturbing discovery.

Judith Mossman had betrayed them.

She'd told Doctor Breen to strike Black Mesa East once Gordon had arrived, to help City Seventeen's administrator take away the figure the rebels held in high regard, in order to break their spirit. Since they couldn't reach Gordon, however, they had settled for Eli. Ever since Gordon and Alyx had eavesdropped on the communication between Breen and Mossman that had revealed all of it, the veteran felt as though he were falling. With every minute that passed he became more and more vengeful. The thought of how many rebels had been killed because of her, of how devastated Alyx had looked because of her, of how one of his few remaining friends had been captured because of _her_.

Gordon shook his head violently, unconsciously gripping his pulse rifle harder to keep his senses. _These are dangerous thoughts_.

Even while he told himself such a thing, another part of him whispered a contrary. _Are they?_

He was spared analysing such a thing by Alyx. "See if there are more turrets nearby."

It was good advice in Gordon's mind. After all of the engagements with the local garrisons, the only ranged weapons he had left were a USP match- with only six bullets left in the magazine- and a pulse rifle, with one last clip at that. Moving back to what Gordon considered the 'front' of the block, the side that he'd entered from, he found three turrets stored in shielded alcoves. A quick tab on a nearby switch deactivated the shield and allowed the veteran to grab the automated weapons and start placing them. With four possible entrances for the Combine, two of which were present at either end of the main hallways in block D-8, Gordon decided to place them in the very area where'd he found them.

All three turrets were placed in the corners of the small room- two on one side and the last on the other- facing outward at a forty-five degree angle. Each one formed a firing arc that would allow the emplacements to deal with incoming soldiers before they could fire off a shot. Once the tripod mounted turrets were placed to the MIT graduate's satisfaction, he moved back into the left corridor and thought about where he should be positioned. He didn't want to be placed in the hot zone if he could avoid it. That only left one possible place, the second level.

When he'd first made his entrance into the cell block, he'd done so from the second level, firing at all the soldiers he could see. After a few had fallen to Gordon's accuracy, the remainder had taken to seeking cover. He had tried to move into the second level of the cell block itself, only to discover that there was no walkway connecting the two sections. It had annoyed him at the time, but now he found that he rather liked the design oversight.

Jumping up to grab a hold of the guard rail, Gordon quickly climbed up and hoisted himself over the railing. He moved far back enough that he was in the shadows, but close enough for him to keep an eye on the turrets. The pulse rifle in his grasp moved to a ready position, his hands briefly tightening in anticipation.

"They're coming Gordon!"

The calm tone she had been using before was replaced by desperation and it made Gordon raise an eyebrow at the transmission briefly. The sound of the block's security gates snapping open forestall any more thought about Alyx, however.

"Primary teams move to containment zone, all remaining squads disperse to position Delta."

Thudding boots could be heard on all sides of the prison block as soldiers moved to their assigned locations.

"Unit Four-One, in position."

"Four-Three, ready for attack signal."

Gordon slowly moved to a kneeling position on the walkway, pulse rifle butt stock placed in the shoulder.

"Four-Five is standing by."

"Unit Five-One waiting for orders."

A brief pause followed the last squad's transmission, with Gordon unconsciously flexing his grip around his weapon in anticipation.

"Zero to all squads, commence assault!"

Following orders to the letter, trans-human combatants moved in mere milliseconds after the transmission was given. Squads on the west end moved in first, the first soldiers moving to the right corners of the corridor before the remainder followed them to form a widely spaced line. Each of the soldiers swept their weapons along different angles, every one of them creating different arcs of fire.

"Immediate vectors clear."

"Roger, we're moving in."

No sooner did the transmission from the teams on the east end reach Gordon's ears then the alarmed shrill from the turrets below could be heard, a sound quickly accompanied by the sight of rapidly discharging pulse capsules as the sentry guns fired off their deadly payload. Incoming files of soldiers were mowed down before they could take more than a handful of steps into the room. The large spread and high rate of fire cut the east squads down to half strength in a matter of seconds, with the rest forced to take cover, lest they share the fate of their squadmates.

"Sentries spotted on the east end! Target is holed up inside!"

"We'll take care of it. All sections proceed to east end, neutralize weapon emplacements."

Nova Prospekt's fourth contingent of soldiers moved to the designated area of the prison block. They closed in with weapons raised before another cry resounded in the prison, more pulse fire erupting from the automated defences. Two more of the soldiers were riddled with capsules, dropping so fast that some of their comrades tripped over them, only to meet the same fate when the turrets fired another barrage seconds later.

"Get a grenade in there!"

The order from Four-Three's section commander was obeyed as quickly as possible, one of the infantryman withdrawing a grenade from his TAC-vest. He pulled the pin on the explosive, moving out from cover to where he could hurl the device before a pulse capsule shredded though his helmet, leaving the live grenade to roll toward the rest of the squad.

Gordon watched the explosive roll away from its handler with a faint sense of amusement as he lowered his pulse-rifle slightly. The frenzied warnings from the rest of the Combine section were quickly replaced with the sound of screams as the grenade detonated with a thunderous crack.

"Close in and converge, the target _must_ be eliminated!"

With the recent disaster of an attempted grenade throw laid bare for all incoming soldiers to witness, few even attempted to replicate the action. Those that did, were quickly dispatched by precise shots from Gordon. The rest were left stumbling forward in their haste to try to eliminate a target that wasn't there. More and more enemy forces fell to the sentry guns while Gordon remained in the shadows.

The irony of it was not lost on the veteran. Countless times, it had been he who had been charging into the fray. At Black Mesa, he had done so over his incessant need to escape the research facility. If getting out quicker meant that he had to head into a charging swarm of zombies, find a way through destroyed passageways, or trigger an HECU trap, than that's what he did. Here it had been his first reaction, not because he felt it was necessary, but because it was purely instinctual.

Gradually, his mindset around the action began to change, until it became something born less of instinct and more out of a desire to remind himself that he could still feel something. Even if that something was only a trace amount of pain, it made him realize he wasn't completely numb. As much as liked to think of apathy as a shield, there were times when he felt it was more of a double-edged sword. For though it allowed him to forget about his horrific past and give him a much needed focus, it also rendered him incapable of caring for his old friends as much as, deep down, he really knew he should.

The rapid clack of a sentry gun drew Gordon's attention back to the carnage still raging in front of him once he realized that the distinct sound of rapid pulse fire was no longer present in the other end of the turret room. At first he thought that the sentry was damaged but, when he dropped to the ground, he could see that the emplacement was still flaring an angry red, the mounted weapon's chamber clacking uselessly with the absence of any ammo stored inside.

_Unbelievable_.

Not surprisingly, Combine forces had already noticed and were cautiously moving forward, wary of more traps. Gordon knew he would have to fix the breach in the defences before the soldiers stormed the room and realized that he was not inside. He only had twenty-nine rounds left for his rifle and the six left in his sidearm, he couldn't afford to engage the charging squads head on.

Emerging from the shadows, Gordon took a quick look below. Combine troops were still around the side with active turrets, but they were now warily shifting between firing and taking cover. He paused just long enough to grip his pulse rifle a little tighter before leaping down below. The former scientist landed in a crouch, his weapon swerving to the right to fire at the remaining Combine. A double-tap was sufficient to bring the first target down, a burst of three for the next. The remainder sought cover once more, giving Gordon the time to disengage and sprint into the turret room.

"Target spotted! He's moving into the fortified zone now!"

A Combine fire-team was already on an approach for the breached end by the time Gordon was there. A five round burst put a stop their advance, but not before the soldiers were able to squeeze off shots of their own. A grimace escaped the veteran as dual 7.62mm rounds impacted against his protective attire. Rather than imbed themselves in the HEV suit as countless other shots had, however, one of the bullets struck a section of the suit so damaged that it actually shredded through the protective layer and into the flesh beneath. Flaring neurons brought the MIT graduate to his knees, the pain was one of the most intense he had felt since coming to City Seventeen.

_So this is what it really feels like to be shot_.

He couldn't afford to dwell on the feeling, though. Gordon twisted his body to reach for the gravity gun slung across his back. He used it to grab one of the still working turrets from the other side and replaced the emplacement with no ammo. As the functional turrets continued their slaughter, Gordon settled himself for picking off Combine forces the machines missed, now wincing with the recoil of every shot.

Minutes passed before the automated defences finally came to a standstill, their once constant barrage of pulse-fire abruptly coming to a halt when there were no more targets in their midst. Gordon kept his guard up for a bit longer, ears straining for the slightest sound of a threat. Several seconds passed without incident, leaving Gordon to exhale in relief as he started to bring the rifle down. But, that was a mistake. A live grenade arced through the air and into the very room Gordon was holed up in, landing directly at his side.

He turned towards the blinking device, but the stab of pain coursing from his injury forced him to stumble as he reached out to bat the explosive out of the room. The grenade moved away from him, but not nearly as far as he would've liked. The red light was blinking faster now, it was close to detonating. There wasn't enough time for the veteran to move towards it and manually punt it away, nor was there enough time to do so with the gravity gun. Acting fast, Gordon started crawling into one of the small alcoves, ignoring the searing pain from all of his wounds as he tried to avoid a few more.

His efforts proved fruitless.

The explosive detonated two seconds later, sending shrapnel swarming throughout the room and leaving one of the turrets destroyed from the detonation. A few fragments riddled his suit, though the protective layer prevented it from sinking into the man's flesh. He was not so lucky with his injured side, however. Gordon had tried to shield his now vulnerable side from the explosive's detonation, but his right hand could only cover so much of the area. A single piece of metal knifed through Gordon seconds before he crawled into the alcove, the fragment had more than enough velocity to pierce through the skin and sink into the now vulnerable flesh.

Gordon only gritted his teeth at the wound, a silent display of the pain he tried to suppress. The affects it had on his body, however, were not so easily ignored. His vision became distorted and his head was swimming. Gordon tried to stand up, but all he could manage was turning himself back around before he fell onto his back, the metal plating of his HEV suit created a resounding thunk that echoed within the small storage compartment.

Seconds later, blackness starting to creep along the sides of his vision and his eyes began to drift close. Gordon almost let them before he recognized the signs of slipping unconscious. He forced them open instead, trying to focus on the hazy images he was confronted with. The sound of thudding boots met his ears, a noise so distant and distorted that it sounded as though it was echoing from underwater. A combine soldier stepped into view, regarding Gordon through yellow tinted lenses for a moment before the combatant started to raise his pulse rifle.

The action seemed to be exceedingly slow to Gordon, as though the soldier were savouring the kill to come. The veteran knew his pulse rifle was out of reach, the weapon having slipped from his grasp in his haste to crawl into the alcove. His only remaining defence was the USP Match still holstered at his right side. He slowly moved his hand toward the sidearm, biting back a wince at the pain such a simple action brought.

_Be quick, be precise._

It was an old mantra of sorts that Gordon had always said to himself before every engagement within Black Mesa, a way of reminding himself he didn't have the time or the resources for drawn out skirmishes. He repeated the phrase once more before drawing his pistol and snapping off a round. The shot went wild, his aim thrown off by another lance of pain. The veteran was aiming for another when a burst of fire resounded in the room. Pulse fire impacted against Gordon's already bullet ridden chest plate, forcing him to drop his sidearm as he gritted his teeth in a combination of pain and rage.

Another volley of fire swiftly followed the first and Gordon braced himself against the feeling of more shots striking the suit. The sound of pulse fire stopped before it had barley begun, however, and Gordon knew that he hadn't been hit. He opened his eyes in time to make out the sight of the trans-human crumpling to the deck.

The unexpected death was explained once Alyx stepped into his line of vision, her trademark pistol held at the ready. Her eyes widened when she caught sight of him, "Gordon?"

Alyx ran towards the former scientist and crouched next to him, studying his injured form. Her eyes fell on the unmistakable sight of the metal shard jutting out from his side. If it was possible, she looked even more concerned. "Oh god, Gordon."

A pained grunt escaped him once her fingers brushed against the shrapnel. "Still...have that vial?"

Alyx looked at him intently for several more moments, before she seemed to come back to her senses and nod. She reached for the very healing compound she'd tried to give to him earlier, helping him out of the cramped storage compartment and onto the prison floor. Alyx's fingers hovered near the metal shard, a hesitant expression on her face while she bit her lower lip. "Gordon, this is going to hurt _a lot_. It really looks like its in there."

The MIT graduate didn't say a word, for he was too busy trying to get a grip on himself. For someone so accustomed to apathy, the rampant feelings he was unable to properly suppress were beginning to unnerve him. The hours he had spent fighting non-stop, his trek to- and inside- Nova Prospekt, constantly watching out for Alyx, learning of Mossman's betrayal, it was all starting to become too much for him to ignore. For the first time in a long time, he felt like he needed an outlet. But, for the life of him, he had no idea what that could possibly be.

Taking his silence in stride, Alyx quickly took hold of the offending object and pulled with all her might. Crimson liquid flowed out of the now open wound with such strength that it made Alyx flinch. A brief look to Gordon showed that he was having trouble maintaining his usual silence, if the pained gasps that escaped him were any indication.

Alyx slowly rolled the former scientist onto his side, stopping when his injury was directly below her hovering hand. She issued another warning to Gordon before pouring a small amount of the vial's contents onto the shrapnel inflicted wound. The reaction was immediate. A snarl worked its way on the former scientist's face, agonizing pain coursing through every neuron in his body. It was all he could do not to scream, the sensation of flesh rapidly mending together was almost too much for the veteran to take.

The look on his face came close to making Alyx regret her decision to heal the injury. She had enough experience patching up Gordon's wounds to know that he could keep a great deal of pain hidden behind a neutral expression. To see him visibly express such agony, she held no doubts that most would already be screaming at the top of their lungs. Laboured breaths continued to escape the former Black Mesa employee, even after the healing compound had worked its magic.

"Gordon? Are you alright?"

Alyx's cautious sounding query was ignored at first, but Gordon started rising to his feet before she could ask another. The former scientist's rise was a shaky one, but he managed to get back on his feet. He paused for several moments, trying to suppress the pain from both his new gun-shot wounds, and the countless other injuries the recent grenade detonation had disturbed. Slowly, his breathing started getting steadier. Several more moments passed before he started moving out of the turret room.

"Gordon, you didn't answer my question."

Alyx spoke with such seriousness that Gordon stopped in his tracks. He couldn't help but wonder if he should he give her an actual answer. The woman was always showing a degree of worry and concern toward him that others did not, and he couldn't imagine why.

_Can't you?_

Gordon mentally flinched at the thought. Ever since the memory of Doctor Wilson had played out in his mind, there had been a part of him whispering words of doubt into his apathetic mind, as though it was trying to shatter his indifferent nature. It was unsettling to him. All the things he suppressed were for good reasons, the possibility of his mental barriers crashing down was not one he cared to see come true.

The veteran turned to face her, but the words he wanted to say wouldn't come. Her defiant expression clearly indicated that she wouldn't settle for the dismissal he felt like giving. He turned back to his front, slowly taking steps forward. A grimace escaped him at the movements, but the morphine working through his system was already helping to dampen the effect. "I'll live."

With that said, Gordon moved toward one of the prison block security fields, securing another pulse rifle from a Combine soldier while he waited for Alyx to clear the way. She did so, but not before throwing a wary glance at Gordon as though she were afraid he would collapse again. A quick input of commands into a nearby console deactivated the particle field, enabling the two Resistance members to proceed further into the prison.

A staircase led down to a basement of sorts, a tunnel connecting different junctions of the complex. The underground passage was poorly lit, but the two didn't get very far before the lights snapped off entirely, plunging the area into darkness. It only lasted for a handful of seconds, the blackness soon giving way to red flares launched in the middle of the hallway. Garbled radio chatter testified to the presence of Combine soldiers, as did the sound of heavy gear thudding against armoured forms.

Their ambush was well executed, to be expected of cybernetically altered humans. But while all the variables in the staging of the ambush had been accounted for, the Combine soon learned that there was one unknown present in the implementation of such a tactic. That unknown was the presence of Gordon Freeman. The veteran's unpredictable charges, feints, and counter attacks defeated the best of the Combine squad and, with Alyx providing support, the trans-humans were defeated just minutes after they had appeared.

It was a short trek to a nearby security interface, where Alyx was able to initiate a lockdown on the room that Judith Mossman was holed up in. Gordon felt a small amount of amusement as he watched her frantically move from console to console on the station monitors.

_The trap is sprung. A rat, ensnared._

Unlike Gordon, the satisfaction Alyx was feeling was put into words. "Ha, got you now! C'mon Gordon, we don't want to keep her waiting."

She smirked at her own comment, heading at a run toward Mossman's cage. Gordon followed with a frown, wondering what was preventing them from letting the traitor wallow in her prison. The appearance of shadows near another particle field, however, reminded him that he and Alyx weren't in the friendliest of locations for such psychological torture. He flattened himself against a nearby wall, motioning for Alyx to do the same. She seemed not to notice, however, for she continued moving ahead. Gordon briefly considered calling out to her, but decided against it. Warning her of the danger she'd just placed herself in would only serve to make his attack strategy that much harder.

Alyx took a right at the bottom of the staircase they had descended, placing herself in a direct line of sight with the Combine soldiers Gordon knew were closing in. Though he couldn't see the entire hallway blocked by the security screen, the steadily increasing height of the shadows suggested that the corridor had a sharp turn in it, one close to the particle field. Gordon slung his pulse rifle and made a grab for his crowbar, eyes narrowing in concentration.

The moment the first soldier slowly crept out from the security field with pulse rifle raised, the former scientist was in motion. He jumped down the rest of the stairs, crashing into the trans-human combatant to send them both tumbling to the floor. Gordon recovered first, scrambling to his feet in seconds to deliver crowbar swipes to the other two bringing their weapons to bear. The fell with electronically modified screams issued from their helmet COMs, single shots discharging from their fallen weapons once they struck the floor; the force behind the impact more than enough for the bolt to slide forward and fire off the rounds chambered inside.

Gordon holstered his crowbar once the soldiers were down, his hand quickly reaching for the pulse rifle held in a one point sling around his back. Single shots riddled through the helmets of each Combine soldier, killing them instantly. He briefly turned toward Alyx once he realized that she was calling for him, an almost frantic tone to her voice.

"C'mon Gordon!"

She was standing inside a Combine created room, large metal slats having been fashioned inside of a previously constructed hole in the prison wall to form a sort of makeshift blast door. Alyx was standing next to a terminal inside, gesturing for him to run toward her. "Come on!"

Gordon sprinted towards Alyx, the distinct sound of rapidly approaching footsteps and radio chatter made it clear that Combine reinforcements were on their way, and he didn't plan on holding them at bay forever. The Resistance woman shut the door the very second Gordon stepped inside, using her EMP device to disable the entryway's control mechanism.

"Well," Alyx said as sparks jutted out from the console, "No turning back now."

Gordon nodded in acknowledgement, trying to take notice of where exactly they were. Alyx had mentioned to her father that they would be headed for the Combine's teleport, so the MIT graduate assumed they were at least close by. The Combine's favoured dark grey metal plating running throughout the entire room's interior seemed to support such a hypothesis, clearly they were in a solely Combine addition to a section of Nova Prospekt.

"There she is!" Alyx spoke with contempt as she narrowed her eyes at the sight of Judith Mossman, clearly visible from the control room's observation window. "Leave the talking to me Gordon," She continued once she turned to look at her companion. "We may need her to get out of here."

A slow nod met her request, the veteran had no desire to talk to the woman anyway.

Alyx stepped toward the window and gently rapped on the glass, the issuing noise loud enough to catch Mossman's attention. She whirled around from the console, visibly startled, though her tone conveyed a sense of relief as she began moving toward the window to see into the dimly illuminated room beyond. "Hello? Oh, thank god that...someone..."

Alyx gave a mocking wave from the other side, a small smirk playing across her lips once the doctor trailed off.

"Alyx? Gordon...h-how did you get in here?"

Alyx's smirk instantly turned into a scowl, as she jabbed an accusing finger toward Judith. "We know _all_ about you and Breen!"

Though the older woman's eyes widened at Alyx's statement, she made an attempt at feigning confusion. "Wh...What are you talking about?"

"You've been a _spy_ for the Combine the _whole_ time!"

Any possible response from the doctor was cut off by a heavy thud from the room's blast door, the loud sound of Combine radio chatter indicating close proximity. Alyx cursed, though whether it was from an interruption of her interrogation or the Combine's rapid advance, Gordon couldn't tell. She moved toward the control room's security door, using her EMP tool to disable the lock long enough for herself and Gordon to step inside.

Judith Mossman was already retreating from a rapidly advancing Alyx Vance, an all-too familiar gesture of placation issued with her hands. "Alyx, I assure you that I have worked to protect your father-."

"Shut up and be glad you're still some use to us!"

Gordon found his hand drifting to his USP Match at Alyx's angry shout. _Two bullets left. One more than I need._

"We're going to reconfigure the teleport and get the hell out of here."

Alyx moved toward the central terminal at the end of her statement, Gordon following, forcibly tearing his hand away from his sidearm as he did so. Judith Mossman didn't know when to quit, however, for she moved toward Alyx as well. "You see, we're working toward the same end. I already reprogrammed the modulator to emulate a Xen relay."

"That," Alyx said as he turned to face the older woman, her tone as venomous as Gordon had ever heard it, "Is my father's work you _stole_!"

Judith seemed to flinch at Alyx's choice of words before her own expression of anger caught up with her. "It's my work too! And I had to prove to Doctor Breen that your father would be the most valuable member of any resear-,"

Judith cut herself off when a dull clacking noise could be heard inside the control room, her eyes searching for the source of the sound. Alyx was doing likewise, a mixed look of confusion and trepidation on her face when she thought of the possibility of Combine soldiers breaking down the outer door already. "Gordon," Alyx said as she started turning to him, "Did you-,"

Alyx halted mid-query, her widening eyes catching the glimpse of a USP Match fully gripped in his right hand and checked at his side. The veteran noticed her gaze almost immediately, his pistol snapping up to a firing position at Judith Mossman. "Gordon, wait!" Alyx cried as she lunged forward, trying to take hold of his sidearm.

The former scientist was fast though, a single discharging shot seemed to echo within the small room, the sound enough to make those alive freeze in place. Gordon didn't move a muscle, enraged green irises continued to stare at his target, despite the fact that his USP Match had been deflected at the last second by Alyx, throwing. what would have been a s precise shot to Judith's forehead. far enough off target that it struck the metal mere centimetres from Mossman's skull.

"Gordon," Alyx called in a tone filled with so many emotions, the addressed man couldn't even begin to identify them. "Holster the Match."

The veteran slowly complied with Alyx's request, though he never once took his eyes off a completely horror stricken Mossman. Judith slowly began to regain her senses after her shocked mind fully processed what had almost happened to her. She rapidly put as much distance between herself and Gordon as the small room would possibly allow, looking anywhere but at the calculating gaze of Doctor Freeman.

Alyx warily looked between the two, her gaze resting more on Gordon. She could definitely understand his anger over Judith's betrayal. She might even have tried the same thing herself if she didn't think that the woman's scientific knowledge would aid all of them in their escape from Nova Prospekt. But, as she looked at Gordon, she didn't quite believe he was acting on a desire for revenge alone. The anger in his eyes was soft pedaled by the haunting look shimmering just beneath the surface, as though he was remembering something.

_Gordon_, Alyx thought as she watched the veteran still staring at Mossman, his once blank look seeming to have permanently shifted to a barely concealed expression of rage, _what happened to you_?

She briefly considered asking him the question out loud, but another look at his face dissuaded such an action. Instead, the young woman turned her attention back to the console and started tracking her Dad's pod. It didn't take her long to find it, a relieved breath escaping her when she saw that it was exactly where it was supposed to be; part of her had expected the Combine to figure out what was going on. "I'm going to bring my Dad in." Alyx said while typing commands into the interface, her voice helping to break the drudging silence that had followed in wake of Gordon's attempted murder.

The moment her father's pod was on a confirmed course for the teleport chamber, Alyx used her EMP tool to disable the lock on the security door barring separating the control room from the teleport chamber. Alyx stood off to the side, carefully watching a still scared looking Judith head inside first before following herself, Gordon moving in last.

"Gordon, everything okay?"

The question was asked after she had sealed the security door, noticing that the veteran was standing next to the entryway. He turned to look at her, his expression letting her know that being okay was the last thing on his mind. "You should have let me kill her."

_Take it from someone who knows, traitors never stop betraying once they've started._

A deep frown marred Alyx's face while she stepped toward him. "Gordon, we're going to need her help to get out of here."

_And when we are out of here?_ The unspoken question seemed to hang in the air at Alyx's statement. something the young rebel took notice of as well. "Let's just play this by ear, alright? Follow my lead on this one."

There was a pleading tone to her voice that the former scientist picked up on, turning to look at her quickly enough to catch the glimpse of her troubled expression, before it was gone. It was clear that his attempted murder bothered Alyx more than she was admitting and, for the first time since he had started killing, that bothered him. He nodded to her in reply, watching a brief look of relief cross her face before she gave a slight smile and moved after Mossman.

The older scientist was standing on a teleport chamber, one far more elaborate than the machine Doctor Kliener had used in his lab. Glass paneled floors allowed the three standing on the teleport platform to catch a glimpse of the machinery responsible for the transporting device's functioning. Amplifying modules ran along a ten metre stretch of conduit at half metre intervals, the rotating lenses altering the wavelength of incoming energy particles to convert them for use in the teleport's capacitors.

Gordon shook his head and looked away from the sight without another glance. He had no idea what, either the original or final frequency was, so he had no idea how long the conversion process would take. The teleporter looked close to being ready anyway, so the former scientist didn't bother with further analysis. He no longer cared how any of these devices worked, so long as they functioned _properly. _

"The Combine use a peculiar pulse-forming network, with a very long rise time. It takes quite a while to recharge."

Judith spoke as though as though she were a professor lecturing her students, her almost casual dismissal of what she was responsible for was enough to make Gordon's temper flare. He only clenched his fists at his sides, however, forcibly tearing his right hand away from the pistol grip of the pulse rifle still slung across his back.

"So, you've warmed it up for us." Alyx spoke, her tone made forcibly neutral in an attempt to try and ease Gordon's mind; his angry reaction to Mossman's statement having not gone unnoticed to her. "Good." A metallic clang brought her eyes upward, a small smile stretching across her lips when she caught sight of her father's pod. "And just in time." She typed in commands at a nearby station, allowing the pod's outer casing to hiss open and reveal the distinct form of Eli Vance. "Sorry that took so long Dad, I hope that wasn't too bad for you."

"Don't worry about me sweetheart." Eli smiled jut a bit wider when he caught sight of the other woman in the room. "Judith! I see they set you free."

Gordon's fists tightened at the very implication while Alyx only offered an offhand comment, "Not exactly..."

"Eli!" Judith rushed to declare, either out of happiness, or out of fear of Alyx continuing with her explanation. "I was so worried-"

A thunderous bang met the woman's statement, the sound so loud it seemed to reverberate throughout the entire chamber. Alyx looked around, fearful of Combine soldiers charging in so soon. Her fear dissipated when she realized that such a thing was not the case, something quickly replaced by worry when she realized that Gordon had slammed his hand down on a control station, with such force that it seemed to have dented the Combine crafted metal.

Deep breaths escaped the former Black Mesa employee, his eyes firmly fixated on the area directly to his front. He didn't dare turn to face the others, for he had no doubt that one look at Mossman would be all that it would take to set him off. The very nerve of the woman to even think of saying such a thing to his friend, it made him feel the same way he had after discovering Mossman's betrayal, burning with rage.

"Just...enter the coordinates for Doctor Kliener's lab, Mossman." Alyx spoke after a long look toward Gordon.

"So," Eli began as metallic arm grabbed hold of the pod he was still contained in and moved it to another railing line leading directly onto the teleport pad. "This is the Combine portal. It's...smaller than I imagined."

Alyx moved toward a control station opposite from Mossman, tapping into the Combine's COM array. "Doctor Kliener?"

"I'm here Alyx," The reassuring voice of Issac Kliener filtered through moments later. "Where are you?"

"We're in Nova Prospekt, running the Xen emulation for the first time." She sounded a bit nervous, as though the implications of what they were doing- giving an untested portal its first trail run- had just occurred to her. "Are you ready for us?"

"Ready, willing, and fully enabled!"

"Good, we'll be sending my Dad through firs-,"

Alyx's statement was cut-off by the sudden blaring of alarms, a sound sharp enough to make Gordon snap his pulse-rifle up, his gaze immediately drifting to the closest entryway. The absence of any soldiers made him lower his weapon slightly, turning to Alyx for an explanation. Only to snap the rifle back up to a firing position when he noticed the lone form of Judith Mossman stepping onto the teleport pad.

He paused long enough to ensure an accurate shot before squeezing the trigger. A trio of pulse capsules discharged from the weapon, only to come to a halt a split-second before they found their mark, a Combine security screen snapping into place. The veteran didn't hesitate to launch more bursts, hoping the projectiles would pierce the particle field. None did.

"No! Stop!" Alyx shouted as she sprinted toward the pad, small electrical discharges emitting from the security screen as she tried to physically force her way through. "What are you doing?"

"I'm sorry Alyx," Judith spoke, a look of regret on her face. "Its the only way."

"Dad!"

Eli glanced between his daughter and Judith, confusion clearly prominent. "What's going on, Alyx? Judith! What's happening?"

The teleporter pad started its ascent, beginning its slow climb up a fifty metre shaft. Gordon fired off one last capsule before sprinting back to one of the control stations, Alyx doing the same. The veteran slung his rifle and looked at the console, desperately trying to decipher the data that scrolled across the display. He was more than a little out of practise with technology of this sort and he paused for several seconds, various scenarios running through his mind as he tried to make use of something he hadn't relied on for quite awhile, his scientific mind.

His first thought was to forcibly alter the frequency of the stored energy in the teleport capacitors, but he didn't need a PhD to know that the resulting overload would be lethal to the pad's occupants. And, while he had no qualms with killing Mossman, he wasn't about to do away with Eli, even his apathetic side would balk at the very thought. His blank mind continued to uselessly stare at the unfamiliar characters scrolling before his very eyes, the lack of knowledge causing a frustration that did not help matters.

A loud crack seemed to echo in the chamber, a sound Gordon already associated with teleportation. He turned to look at the now vacant and descending pad, a snarl on his face as he slammed his fist down on the console._ "Damn!"  
_

The sound of Combine radio chatter could be heard not long after the uttered curse escaped the veteran's lips. Loud bangs testified to the Combine's persistence to breach the barriers in their way, a noise steadily increasing in volume. Alyx told Gordon to cover her while she reset the teleport, something he did with the assistance of three previously stored turrets.

Gordon was fighting two battles, one against the swarms of Combine soldiers storming the teleport chamber, while the other was in his own mind. No matter how many times Gordon tried to re-immerse himself in apathy, to give him the focus he so desperately craved, one word resounded in his mind. Amidst the flurry of rage and pain, clouding his thoughts, a single word continued to be whispered.

_Failure._

_

* * *

_

**Thanks to Nogoodnms, IUSEDTOBECRAZY, ClarkesLaw, and mellombror for your reviews on the previous chapter. **

**Nogoodnms, you said**** you **** wanted more. So I give you, more.  
**

**mellombror did bring up something I have been debating for awhile now: 'Should I continue with this fic beyond Half-Life 2 and go all the way to EP 2?' What do you guys think? **

**Gordon tried to assassinate Mossman, there's the shocker. I suppose its not **_**really **_**a shocker though, since I'm sure most of you had the very same desire the first time you played through HL 2, myself included. Its more of the reasons behind Gordon's actions that are the shocker.**

**Were they highlighted in this? Absolutely not, that will come later. I already have a great scene in mind too.**

**Anyway, Nova Prospekt has now been wrapped up. Highlighted moments from the Anticitizen One chapter are next.  
**


	8. Paralyzed

_**Chapter VIII: Paralyzed**_

()

A bright flash appeared in Gordon's vision, the sensation strong enough to force him to shut his eyes as tightly as possible. Through closed eyelids, he waited until the light seemed to have diminished in intensity before opening them again. Doctor Kliener's lab was the first thing to greet his wandering gaze, a welcome sight in wake of the Combine affiliated architecture he had been looking at for the past several hours in Nova Prospekt. The lab was not what it once was, however, a few pieces of broken equipment lay strewn about on the floor, sparking wires emitting from where stable electric circuits had once existed. The single window in the lab's observation platform was boarded up, though a metre wide hole in the solid brick wall right next to it, made such an action exceedingly pointless.

"Well...we made it." Gordon's eyes rested on an uncertain looking Alyx as she walked away from the teleporter pad, turning to face him with a frown. "But where's Doctor Kliener?" She moved to the blast door entrance, banging on it with a fist. "Doctor Kliener, let us out!"

A rumble met her demand as the heavy door started to slide apart, the barrel of a shotgun tentatively poking through, soon followed by the appearance of Issac Kliener. "Alyx? I can hardly believe you got here..." The old scientist trailed off, expectant eyes moving toward Alyx's side. "Where's Gordon?"

"What do you mean? He's right..." Alyx trailed off, the indicating thumb she was holding to her left falling back to her side when she realized that her companion was not where she expected him to be. She turned to find that Gordon was still on the teleporter pad, widened, unfocused eyes still fixated on the ruined sections of Kliener's lab. "Gordon?" He didn't answer and, as Alyx drew closer, she could've sworn he was shaking. "Gordon? Gordon?"

()()

Alarm klaxons blared, the noise loud enough to stir Gordon back to consciousness. Picking himself up from the floor, the physicist briefly gripped his head, the simple action of standing up made his head swim. Once he felt himself regaining a sense of equilibrium, he looked around to find Black Mesa test chamber C-33/a in ruins. The Anti-Mass Spectrometer, a device which took up half of the chamber when it was intact, took up even more as a ruin. The once formidable scanning array, formerly mounted on the ceiling of the testing room, lay in pieces on the floor, and the containment section on the bottom was nothing more than a pile of rubble. Gordon stared at the sight for a long time, with something akin to sadness working its way through him before he pushed the feeling away and tore his eyes from the machinery.

He moved towards the heavy blast door entryway separating the test chamber from the rest of the complex, not surprised in the least to see it jammed open at a diagonal pattern. What was surprising was the dead body sprawled along the floor, a pool of crimson liquid underneath having turned the man's once white lab coat a dark red, as though he had thrashed around in death throes before finally falling still. When Gordon was finally able to look away from the horrific sight, he found his eyes drifting back to what was left of the Anti-Mass Spectrometer.

_This is not progress, _Gordon thought with s slight shake of his head.

The first teleport trial run was sort of a mixed success for the scientific field. Earlier tests with other inanimate objects had left even the greatest minds stumped, for none of them had reached their intended destinations. Early theories suggested that there was a problem with the first teleport models, but those same theories couldn't label a common component that would be the cause of such a problem. No matter how many times the schematics were consulted, everything seemed perfectly in order. Nevertheless, scientists dismantled and rebuilt the machine, ensuring that every piece of equipment was perfectly set, every calibration, precise.

When the next set of experiments yielded similar results, people started to think that it was human calculations that were off, while even more pessimistic souls believed humanity just wasn't ready. Instead of using inanimate objects next time, funds were siphoned away from other sectors, used for the creation of a robot that could scan its surroundings and store data. It was fitted with a return protocol that was thoroughly tested before the first trial. At the time, government interest was starting to turn away from teleportation and everyone was aware that if nothing tangible was uncovered during the next test, there was a high probability that their funding would be pulled entirely.

Such fears were unnecessary, for the automated scanner not only returned, but it did so with a wealth of information. Upon its return, scientists uncovered the secret to teleportation, the borderworld that became known as Xen.

Gordon briefly pushed his wandering thoughts away, tearing his eyes away from the ruined anti-mass spectrometer and the dead scientist's body to move toward a damaged retinal scanner locking the door separating C-33/a from the rest of the complex. He took off his glasses just long enough to press his eyes against the scanning sockets, letting out an audible breath of relief when the thick metallic entryway started to slide apart. He stopped cold after placing his eyewear back on his face, the sight of ruined equipment and mangled corpses in the area beyond coming into focus.

_This is not advancement._

Xen was found to be the unintended destination point for all the previous experiments. A temporary solution had been to fit a relay device inside the strange world, enabling it to reflect incoming teleport signals, pointing them back toward the area of origin. Discovering the borderworld had led to more than just an answer into teleportation or increased funding for research, however. It also resulted in a discovery of the unique properties of the local crystals. Specifically, their anti-matter composition.

Hundred of theories were attached to anti-matter, but every hypothesis had a similar foundation, the belief in the abundance of energy. Teleportation required an exceedingly large amount of energy, something that had drained scientific resources faster than those at Black Mesa would have preferred. If the natural energy abundance present in exotic matter could be harnessed, or even synthesized, than, not only would teleportation be made more simplistic and economically beneficial, but it would also provide an answer to alternative sources of energy.

As Gordon continued moving through a hallway whose walls were caked with blood, and whose floor was littered with the corpses of his former colleagues, he felt a rising sense of dread accompanying the sickening crunch of horror clouding his mind.

_Some tests shouldn't be conducted._

The sample Gordon had been moving into the anti-mass spectrometer today for analysis was supposed to give insight into the link between normal and exotic matter. Previously obtained samples of crystal from Xen all showed a convergence of anti-matter and standard matter and it both perplexed and excited everyone in the anomalous research department. The fact that the two types of matter could co-exist to form a stable compound gave hope to the idea of unlocking the secret for synthesizing exotic matter.

Unlike prior tests, however, the sample the MIT graduate had placed in the spectrometer had a higher percentage of exotic matter. There were whispers from some workers within the anomalous division, scientists laying out theories that the higher presence of anti-matter would make such a crystal highly unstable. But no-one had listened to those few individuals sprouting out theories that, even for a hypothesis, were not based on enough evidence to account for any type of accuracy.

Gordon crawled through a large gap in an elevator door at the end of the hallway, manoeuvring through the emergency access panel of the broken lift inside to start climbing up the maintenance ladder mounted along the shaft wall. The door at the top was smashed in just enough for him to fit his bulky HEV clad form through, his scanning eyes resting on what was left of the C-33/a research team. A total of five scientists now remained from a cohort once numbering twenty-three in total, two of those present looked as though they were already on the verge of death. Wounds were bandaged and medication was given but, if their sickly pale complexion was any indication, it didn't look to be enough.

_What have we done?_

"Gordon, you're alive! Thank god for that hazard suit!"

The physicist was so distracted from the recent horrific sights he just witnessed- the images still replaying in his mind, like a terrible nightmare he just couldn't escape- that he didn't immediately recognize Eli Vance standing in front of him. When he seemed to have finally processed who was talking to him, he only looked up at his friend. "So much destruction...and death...from such a simple experiment. I don't want to be a part of this."

"You've got to try to get to the surface," Eli gently urged after fixing a worried look on his companion. "All of the phone lines are down so we have no way to contact anybody, in the facility or outside. I'd try myself but..."

He trailed off, but Gordon already knew what he was going to say, the look of fear in his eyes only served to confirm it; Eli still needed to find Azian and Alyx. It was the morning so Azian was most likely with Alyx in the dormitories further in Sector C, in level three. At least, Gordon assumed it was still the morning, though for all he knew several hours had passed since the experimentally triggered disaster.

"I'll get you through the security lockdown for this sector," Eli continued after pausing for a moment to pull himself together.

The physicist only nodded at his friend's statement, following behind Eli as he led Gordon to a retinal scanner outside the test chamber's observation room. Eli turned to his friend after granting him access to the area beyond. "Get to the surface Gordon, let someone know that we're stranded down here."

Struck by Eli's solemn tone, Gordon replied with a nod. "I'll send help back for you, I promise."

The elder scientist seemed to revert back to his old self for a brief moment, a warm smile stretching across his lips. "I've no doubt about that." He paused to look around, his smile slowly dissipating as the gravity of what was happening returned to him. "Take care of yourself Gordon."

The physicist inclined his head briefly in acknowledgement, the importance of his own task settling in as well, before he turned away from his friend and ran through the observation room. Gordon traversed his way through an area littered with the remnants of support beams and pieces of metal that once been firmly welded on the ceiling. The amount of stress needed to even shake the walls of a solid concrete constructed underground corridor was immense, but to physically cause enough vibrations to ruin sections of it...

Gordon shook his head to dispel such troubling thoughts, not wanting to dwell on the ramifications of such a scenario. Not that the ruined sections of a laser containment tube, clusters of broken monitoring equipment, traces of blood, and the scores of dead bodies in the room beyond did anything to swerve his mind away from the experiment's aftermath. After carefully navigating his way through sporadic laser beams, Gordon approached the lift that would take him up to the top section of Sector C. The lift doors, much like most of the other entryways he'd encountered so far, were crushed at odd angles, allowing the MIT graduate to squeeze into the elevator shaft. He made use of another service ladder to ascend to the floor above, the sounds of shouting voices met his ears even before his feet made contact with the floor.

Pausing long enough to track the source of the disruption, Gordon sprinted toward the right branch of the circular shaped hallway. Two scientists turned out to be the cause of the noises, one of them was wielding a crowbar and the other was brandishing a small slab of metal. Both of them were waving their respective improvised weapons about wildly, their patterns chaotic enough that Gordon wondered if they had, or were starting to, lose their minds. Closer inspection showed that their rampant waving was not due to insanity, but rather the presence of three strange looking creatures.

Gordon had caught an exceedingly brief glimpse of the attacking aliens during the experiment catastrophe itself, but he had been hoping that the visual horrors were nothing more than a nightmare. He had never been to the borderworld of Xen, but he had heard stories of some expeditions becoming lost in their assignments to retrieve crystals. At the time, he had dismissed them as nothing more than unfounded rumours, but when whispers began circulating of bizarre creatures being studied down in Sector G, he had started to wonder if there were bits of truth to the stories.

The Resonance Cascade served to shed light on such musings.

From his own research, Gordon was aware of the fact that all of the objects studied by his department had a set resonance. Data collected from readings of the experiments conducted in the anti-mass spectrometer showed that the studied objects could resonate more when submitted to the scanning process. The MIT graduate had started to wonder if it would have been possible to utilize the resonances of crystals to work around the need for the teleportation relay device set up at Xen. His working theory, however, had been to simply temporarily open a gateway to the borderworld, long enough for the teleportation signal to be reflected back toward Earth. Gordon had never thought of forging a _permanent_ dimensional rift between the two locations, which seemed to be the case after this morning's test.

The dimensional rift would help to explain why he had seen so many portals forming seconds after the experiment had clearly failed, and why there were aliens pouring through. Of the many creatures that looked to have been warped into Black Mesa, the more numerous had been the appearance of small, yellow skinned quadrapedal aliens about half the size of a house cat. Short, wide, muscular back legs looked as though they allowed the creature to jump far while thin, elongated front legs appeared to be little more than claws. Mandibles were attached directly to the fleshy middle that accounted for the majority of the creature's biomass.

While the aliens did look fairly menacing, their size left Gordon wondering what could possibly make them so threatening as to force the two scientists to concentrate solely on eliminating the creatures. He got his answer when one of the aliens leapt at one of the scientists, heading straight for the man's head. Only a last minute swipe from the targeted human's crowbar kept the monster at bay. The creature hit the wall with a resounding splat, the velocity behind the strike more than enough to leave it lifeless. Their victory was short-lived, however.

Another of the aliens made a follow-up attempt seconds later, this one succeeding where the other had failed. It latched onto the head of the man wielding a metal slab as a weapon, eliciting a scream from the scientist as he frantically tried to push the invading alien off. His friend rushed to help, dropping the crowbar while his hands gripped the alien and pulled, almost frantically. The assaulted man didn't seem to want to co-operate, for he started flailing about, almost appearing as though he were pushing his friend away.

"Hold still! Hold still!"

A distorted scream answered the scientist's panicked shouts, the sound so inhuman it made Gordon cringe. His mind warned for him to look away from the terrible sight, to double back and move to the doorway through the other side of the circular hallway. He remained, rooted to the spot, watching on in horror as the other alien took advantage of the distraction provided by the infected man, firmly latching on to the skull of the remaining scientist. Gordon continued to watch in almost sickly fascination as the scientists continued to struggle with their foes a bit longer before falling to the ground, their forms unmoving- save for the aliens grinding against their skulls.

He didn't know how long he stared at the horrifying scene playing out before his eyes, almost transfixed by it. The next thing Gordon's mind registered was a pair of gunshots resounding in the hallway, each one of the strange creatures grew limp as a discharging bullet pierced through their fleshy middles, killing them instantly. From the spray of crimson liquid that had leaked out as well, it was clear that the scientists had been killed too.

"Gordon!" A security guard shouted at his approach, lowering his sidearm once he recognized the armoured form standing in the hallway.

The voice finally knocked the physicist out of his stupor, he looked up from the scientist corpses long enough to decipher the shape of a familiar individual. "James?"

A nod met Gordon's query once James had stopped a few metres away from the scientist, blue eyes flicking back and forth, as though expecting more alien intruders.

"W...What are those...things." Gordon slowly asked the moment he was able to tear his eyes away from the lifeless forms of fellow colleagues. Colleagues, on closer, inspection, he realized that he had previously been acquainted with.

A shaky breath escaped the security guard as he holstered his pistol, running a hand through his short blonde hair while he tried to ignore the fact that he'd just murdered two people. "I have no idea Gordon. All I know is that they're..." He paused as if searching for the right word. "Dangerous."

"In what way?" Gordon asked cautiously, cringing at the all too recent memory of the creatures grinding against skulls.

"Th...They..." James paused in his explanation, looking as though he were struggling for words. "I don't how to say this without sounding crazy but they...change people, Gordon."

"Change?"

"They...turn them into something." James let out another shaky breath, his hands looking as though were shaking slightly. "Something horrifying."

Gordon didn't say a word this time, partly because he knew his friend was going to speak again, but also because he was dreading the answer.

"They become almost like...zombies."

Had it been any other point in his life, Gordon wouldn't have hesitated in labelling James as insane. Given everything that had happened since this morning, however, labelling such things as crazy was nothing short of a luxury. At this point, anything was possible.

"You think I'm crazy, don't you?"

Gordon pushed his troubling thoughts away, realizing that he had probably been quiet for far longer than the security guard would have preferred. "No, I don't," The physicist responded with a shake of his head, "And that's the problem."

Stepping toward the two scientists James had unwillingly dispatched, and trying to ignore the pool of blood his armoured boots stepped in, Gordon knelt down to retrieve the crowbar the scientist had dropped. He pulled the tool from its blood soaked environment, unable to deny the feeling of security coursing through his mind at the weight of a heavy object in his grasp; the first sense of such a thing he'd been able to feel since the experimental catastrophe. Switching his gaze from the crowbar to the remains of a man he once knew, Gordon reached down to close the man's eyelids, vowing to make use of what the man left behind, to ensure that his death wasn't as wasteful as it seemed.

_I'll set things right. I'll fix this._

_()()  
_

"Gordon, please, snap out of it!"

Green irises snapped back into focus at Alyx's shout, taking in her expression of intense worry as she gripped his arms and shook him lightly. She stopped the moment she noticed his stare, carefully backing up only once he was able to get his rapid breathing back under control, viciously trying to blink away the nightmarish images swarming through his mind.

"Are you okay?"

He wanted to nod at her, to simply look her in the eye and give his usual apathetic display. Instead, he found himself shaking his head. The troubled expression that should have remained hidden was now clearly displayed for her to see, and he didn't like it.

"What happened Gordon?" Alyx asked slowly, her face still portraying concern as she eyed him critically, wondering what had him so shaken up.

The veteran viciously shook his head at her query. He hated how pathetic the actions must've looked, but he couldn't answer. He wasn't even sure what triggered the flashback to begin with, talking about it would only serve the possibility of triggering another, something he would give anything to avoid.

Alyx let out a breath in frustration at his refusal to speak, but the wild fear in his eyes prevented her from asking further, for now at least. Instead, she guided Gordon away from the teleport and into Doctor Kliener's lab, keeping a careful eye on him even while she listened to Issac bringing them both up to speed on current events.

After Doctor Kliener had been convinced Gordon was fine, he told the two why he had been so surprised to see them, elaborating that the Nova Prospekt portal sent out its teleportation signal a week ago, before it had exploded shortly after.

"A week?" Alyx's incredulously posed query was issued once she tore her eyes away from Gordon, moving closer toward Doctor Kliener in order to discern from his face whether he was telling the truth. Not surprisingly, he was. "Then, what exactly have we missed?"

"The beginning, of course." Issac said, almost absentmindedly, as he typed away on the keyboard of his computer.

A frown worked its way onto Alyx's face at the scientist's statement, "The beginning?"

"Of the uprising Alyx," Doctor Kliener spoke, turning his attention from his computer to her. "The blow you and Gordon struck at Nova Prospekt was taken as a signal for the Resistance to become more overt in our efforts against the Combine."

"But what about my father?"

The proud smile on Issac's face all but vanished at Alyx's distressed question. "Well, that is most troubling," He continued with a hint of grimness in his voice as he stepped toward Alyx and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "According to the Vortigaunts, he is a prisoner at the Citadel."

A sharp thud drew the pair's eyes toward the opposite end of the lab, their heads turning fast enough to see Gordon bringing an armoured fist away from the concrete wall he'd just slammed it against. The veteran couldn't hope to stem the flow of rage he felt the moment his mentor mentioned Eli being in the Citadel. That anger wasn't just directed at the Combine, or Mossman for her unacceptable betrayal though, he was also enraged with himself.

Just minutes after Mossman and Eli's teleportation, Gordon had finally realized what he could have done to prevent Judith's use of the portal. The answer had been so blatantly obvious that he could hardly believe that he hadn't thought of it when he should have. The only thing he needed to do was send the teleport's focusing lens out of alignment, just enough for the portal to abort the sequence in progress and force itself into diagnostic mode. He should have known the answer to the problem the moment he needed it, not discovering the solution a week later when he could no longer put it to use.

_'Eli, let me remind you I'm out of the scientific field. I don't do this sort of thing anymore.'_

The words clouded his mind at his train of thought, reminding him exactly why he had been so unresponsive. He had abandoned any desire for involvement in science the very moment he had seen the kind of catastrophe a simple experiment could bring to the world. Guilt consumed his mind at the revelation, negative thoughts of refusing to keep up to date with the technological advancements developed during his twenty year absence plaguing his thoughts.

_There wasn't time._

There was truth in such a statement. Even if Gordon had wanted to learn all he could about what he'd missed, he had never had the opportunity. Tasks were presented to him at every possible chance, he hadn't even had enough time to cater to the needs of his own body, let alone the demands of an intellectual lecture.

The weight of guilt lessened as he tried to convince himself against his self-blaming thoughts. It receded, but it was still there. Like the hundred of other emotions now filling the veteran, the feeling was still present, like a sharply buzzing background noise he just couldn't ignore. It was almost too much for Gordon. He was used to working with a mind focused only on the objective and the steps necessary to achieve it. But now memories were fighting to get to his conscious mind, as though each one were screaming to be recognized and absorbed into Gordon's psyche.

He fought to suppress them, knowing full well that each one could result in another slip of reality. It was a losing battle though, as snippets of images were flashing before his eyes, each one showing a scene more terrifying than the last.

_Resist! Resist!_

He would have given anything to simply throw up his protective barriers and forget what he'd just seen, forget everything that had happened to him, what _was_ happening to him. But he couldn't.

The assault to the MIT graduate's mind was more of a shock to his system than the most agonizing form of physical pain. He made a valiant effort to remain rooted in reality, to remind himself that he couldn't afford such a distraction while he still had a friend to save. But despite all of his efforts, he didn't last much longer before falling unconscious, his armoured bulk thudding against the floor of Doctor Kliener's lab.

A cry resounded soon after, almost sounding like one of the many memories the veteran was suddenly surrounded with. "Oh my god! Gordon? GORDON!"

* * *

**KRSONMar, Nogoodnms, mellombror, HedyLamarr, Lfan8, and ghillie in the mist are all deserving of recognition for their reviews of the last chapter. I had to look at those more than a few times to give myself some damn motivation to finish writing this chapter- the first few hundred words of the Black Mesa flashback required some research into the Combine Overwiki, takes a lot out of you (or so I choose to believe). Thanks a bunch guys.**

**I wanted Gordon's acquisition of a crowbar to be a more memorable part of his life. Since it becomes a symbol for what he stands for during the Combine's reign, I figured the first one he gets should leave an impression, one deep enough to warrant the reason he always carries it around.  
**

**Looks like I jumped the gun a bit on my last AN. Within the next two chapters there will be some depiction of urban warfare from the Anticitizen chapter, guaranteed.  
**

**But first, there's going to be some more nightmarish Black Mesa memories unveiled. I've yet to decide whether to just continue where I left off, or make them all random. Given the chaotic state of Gordon's mind at this point, the latter is more likely. But...we'll see. **


	9. The Abyss

_**Chapter IX: The Abyss**_

()

"Come on, Gordon!"

The scream echoed from across a concrete corridor, diverting Gordon's attention away from the firefight with HECU marines to the frantically waving form of Rick Wilson. A heavy blast door was slowly closing, Doctor Wilson on the other side.

The fire suppression alarms had been triggered by the military in order to seal off sections of the facility, with the sole exception of the corridor Gordon and Rick had decided to move through. HECU forces had appeared soon after, making it clear that the pair had walked into a trap. Gordon had told Rick to move on ahead while he dealt with the soldiers. The fact that they had resorted to closing the doors, to Gordon, meant that he was starting to gain the upper hand. Of course, he knew that could change at anytime and he didn't like the thought of being trapped in a deserted area of the research facility.

Gordon paused to fire off one last burst of rounds from his captured MP5 submachine gun before disengaging and sprinting toward his companion. He moved in a zigzagging pattern, trying to avoid the few shots sent his way from a now pursuing enemy. The physicist strained himself to the limit, forcibly trying to widen his stride and pump as much speed out of his muscles as he could manage. The door was still closing, the opening for his escape growing smaller and smaller with every second.

_Just a bit further_.

Gordon chanted the words to himself, trying to summon more power to his movements. He was close now, only a few metres away. At the rate the door was closing, however, he knew he wouldn't be able to just sprint through in time; he'd have to get creative. The physicist took two more steps before diving forward, hitting the concrete floor with a thud. He had just enough time to orientate his body into a parallel position relative to the door and roll under before it sealed shut.

Pounding feet and frenzied radio chatter could be heard the instant Gordon was on the other side, testifying to the close proximity of a rapidly advancing HECU contingent. "This is Alpha, tangos are five-oh-five. Open the suppression door. Open the suppression door!"

Gordon rose to his feet, a slight smirk on his face at his enemy's misfortune before he turned to his companion and pointed ahead. Wilson nodded at the wordless command to press onward and did as instructed. Gordon gripped his MP5 tighter as he moved, trying to ignore the new shooting pain coursing through his left leg. Clearly he hadn't escaped the trap as cleanly as he'd hoped. The wound was only another addition to the many he'd already received on his journey to escape the research facility.

He would prefer to think of all the injuries as irrelevant, to ignore the potential implications multiple, untreated wounds would have on his body after a long period of time. Despite how foolish he believed such a wish to be, he couldn't help it. If such a thing were to come true, at least then he wouldn't have to be constantly reminded of the fear clouding the back of his mind. It was like an uncomfortably loud background noise that always made him wonder just how much more the suit would be able to endure, of how much more he could take before it finally caught up with him.

Pausing briefly to take a deep breath, Gordon waited until the flurry of uncomfortable thoughts in his mind quieted down before continuing forward. He hoped to never find the answers to such questions.

[{}]

Trepidation of this magnitude was a sensation Gordon had never before experienced in his life, but it was something he was forcing himself to get used to. A reverberating pounding noise emitting from a thick metal door on the edge of a narrow concrete laden corridor was the cause of Gordon's apprehension. The metal could be seen bending outward with every thunderous crash, as though whatever was inside was attempting to literally punch its way through. If the stressed groans of the metallic surface was any indication, the tactic was working.

Gordon tightened his grip around the spare Glock 17 James had given him- apparently the security guard always carried a back up side-arm. He'd given Gordon a quick tutorial on how to operate the weapon, teaching him everything from reloading to proper holding and aiming. The physicist had already put the instructions to good use, dispatching tripedal creatures whose bodies looked to be a cross between dogs and maggots.

The pounding grew steadily louder, reminding Gordon that whatever was behind the door was not another one of the canine-like creatures. He raised the weapon to an attack position when the door sounded close to giving way, which it did seconds later. From the dimly lit interior beyond, emerged a bipedal alien. Its body seemed roughly humanoid in nature, save for the third arm protruding from its chest and the large, red eye in the centre of its football shaped head, an eye that was now fixated on Gordon.

A short warble emitted from the creature as it extended spindly arms outward, a visible energy beam springing into existence, as though it were answering a wordless command. It was clearly a sign of attack but, before Gordon could even snap off a shot, the alien's arms sprung forward. The gathered energy was flung forward like a projectile, impacting straight into Gordon and sending him flying backward with a cry of pain, his pistol skittering across the floor.

Marching feet could be heard as a dull thunk, hoofed feet clicking along the concrete flooring as the Xen lifeform began a cautious advance. Gordon gritted his teeth against the blaring signals emitted by his pain receptors while he shot back to his feet. He reached for his crowbar, holding the previously holstered weapon in his right hand while he started moving towards his opponent. The creature gave another warble in response to the challenge, charging forward with three clawed hands swiping wildly.

Gordon slapped a thrusting arm aside with his left hand, following through with a crowbar blow to the creature's flank. The Xen lifeform howled at the impact, the hooked end of the wielded melee weapon having penetrated its olive-green coloured carapace. The moment Gordon pulled the crowbar out of the creature, it tried to disengage from the melee fight, clearly sensing it was outmatched. It didn't get very far though before the MIT graduate was on it once more, tackling the creature to the ground before bringing the crowbar down with all his might, raining down blow after blow, only stopping when the creature ceased its frantic struggling.

Gordon moved back to his feet, holstering his crowbar once he had retrieved his Glock. He paused briefly on his way down the corridor, glancing down at the creature's corpse. Part of him felt he should feel a degree of regret at the brutal assault he'd just committed, but he only felt enraged at the completely unprovoked attack he'd just endured.

_Bastard._

It was the first time Gordon Freeman would describe a Vortigaunt with such a term, but it wouldn't be the last.

[{}]

Flickering fluorescent lights provided what little illumination was left in a storage area of Black Mesa, making Gordon glad that the HEV suit's designers had seen fit to install a flashlight on the protective attire. The narrow beam of white light swept back and forth as Gordon ensured that the room was free of hostiles. He'd already encountered plenty of surprises on his way down here and he wasn't about to run the risk of encountering anymore.

It didn't take more than a minute to ensure that the area was clear, leaving a grateful physicist to sling his SPAS-12 shotgun and approach a couple of empty metal storage racks. He carried the heavy objects over to the room's only entrance and forged a simple barricade, pausing briefly in his efforts to recover from the fatigue working through his system. Gordon evaluated his own work when he was done, confident that the storage door wouldn't open to anything, save for a demolition charge. Meaning that he was safe from everything but HECU marines. The last squad that had tried to capture him had been dealt with, however, so Gordon was confident that he would be able to rest uninterrupted, if only for a time.

Slumping against the wall, Gordon finally let his guard down while he lowered himself to a sitting position. He'd been trying to avoid resting for hours now, pointedly ignoring the fatigue by sheer will, always reminding himself that he had to get to the Lambda complex. Of course, he'd yet to find out what was so important there, but he'd been told that the scientists holed up inside were working on a way to undo the damage caused by this morning's experiment. The damage that he'd caused.

He knew blaming himself was as pointless as it was untrue, for the blame lied with everyone who had ignored the potential risks of scanning such an unstable crystal. But after everything he'd seen and done in the past several hours, he couldn't help but think about what had led to such a disaster. If only they'd taken the time to think about what they were about to do, a lot of people would still be here. Rick would still be alive, so would Anna, Kelly, Sarah, Frank, and Jay. Now they were all dead, and not just from the Resonance Cascade, but because he, personally, had failed to protect them. Gordon had offered to help them reach freedom and, instead, he'd only led them to their deaths.

Though he would have preferred Rick's death to have been the last one he was responsible for, it hadn't been. The further he moved into Black Mesa, the more he realized that he did not know where he was going. He'd gotten lost on too many instances, doubling back on pathways and traversing in giant loops. He had calmly tried to find his way around such obstacles in the beginning but, over time desperation had started to rise. It got to the point that when Kelly Forbes offered to be his guide in exchange for protection, he had jumped at the chance.

She couldn't have been with him for more than two hours before she was killed, viciously assaulted by a strange Xen animal. Gordon had been too preoccupied with the alien zappers charging toward them to notice the squid-like monstrosity darting to Kelly. By the time he did, she was already dead. Guilt was the last thing he was consciously aware of before he succumbed to slumber, dreaming of horrors that he wished were confined to his imagination.

He woke up after only four hours and, unable to go back to sleep, simply continued pressing forward to his destination. Thoroughly disturbing as it may have been, it would be the last bit of natural sleep he would experience for a long time.

[{}]

The all-too familiar sound of warbling brought Gordon to an abrupt halt, his SPAS-12 shotgun moving to a ready position while he listened for the source of the sound. More alien dialect could be heard seconds later, the sound coming from further down the concrete laden hallway of an unknown section of Sector D. Gordon tried to keep his eyes firmly fixated ahead, though he couldn't help but glance at the offices off to his left and right. It was one thing to walk through a hallway with a damaged ceiling and battered walls, but the added presence of crimson slick floors spoke of something horribly wrong. It was clearly blood, but the sheer amount of the liquid, and the clear absence of any bodies, made Gordon feel as though there was a pit in his stomach; something just wasn't right.

The voices sounded again, an almost frantic note to the clicking dialect that he hadn't picked up on before. It intrigued him for a moment before he brushed it aside, labelling it as an unnecessary distraction. He concentrated on tracking the sound, instead, moving further into the dimly lit hallway. The noise was louder when Gordon stopped outside a T-shaped junction, with branching corridors to his front and right. He opted to move straight ahead, only to stop cold when he moved around a bend.

Two of the zapper aliens were communicating with one another, their profiles facing away from Gordon while their incessant chattering continued. That wasn't the sight that put an abrupt halt to his movements, however, it was the presence of so many dead bodies littering the ground around them. What looked to have once been a lounging area for workers was now littered with corpses, each one laying in a pool of their own blood.

_Oh god. _

Gordon turned his attention back to the zappers, forest green irises blazing with anger while he aimed his shotgun and fired. The targeted alien lurched forward from the blow, landing in a heap metres away from his previous location. The remaining creature took one look at his companion's unmoving form before snapping around to face its attacker. Another blast was issued from Gordon's pump action weapon before the alien could even attempt to react to his presence, striking it in the dead centre of mass. The zapper followed the same trajectory as its companion, falling limp once its weight smacked against the floor.

Hearing no more warbles, or anything aside from an eerie silence, Gordon found himself moving further into the source of the carnage. Sparse collections of blue and black cloth could be seen amidst the flurry of white coloured attire, showing that some guards had tried to secure the area and protect the scientists, to no avail. The sound of a weak cough made Gordon snap his weapon back up to a ready position, thinking that one of the zappers was still alive. It could be heard again seconds later, clearly coming from one of the bodies sprawled next to a coffee table. The veteran moved closer at a cautious pace, not quite willing to lower his guard just yet.

There were too many bodies around the area for Gordon to pinpoint the source of the noise. It wasn't until another cough was heard that he was able to track the sound to a security guard laying on her back, eyes fixated on the ceiling. Small amounts of blood bubbled up from the woman's mouth with every cough, leaving Gordon with no doubt that she had suffered internal injuries. He moved to her side, checking her form for the source of the affliction.

"G...Gor...Gordon?"

The physicist looked down at the sound of the woman's voice, taking in her facial features in confusion, wondering how she knew him. She seemed vaguely familiar, but parts of her face were fitted with small gashes. His eyes eventually fell on the faint scar line running down the woman's neck and he felt his stomach drop. "Anna?"

She managed to nod in reply, a ghost of a smile on her face. "G...Go...Good to...see you."

Gordon could only look on sadly, unable to form a reply. He and Anna had become acquainted through Barney but, because of their different positions, the only time they had been able to interact on the job was when Anna was getting him through a security checkpoint in Sector C. Her joking nature had helped to alleviate the stress of constantly working in an underground lab. She had been transferred to Sector D not long after they met and, aside from the rare moments when Barney was able to get her to hang out with them, they hadn't really interacted much since. As a result, Gordon had always thought of her as someone who stood in-between the acquaintance and friend categories.

To see Anna now, with blood continually dripping from her mouth from every coughing fit, brought a sense of grief to him he hadn't felt since the Resonance Cascade had started. He surveyed the rest of her squirming body, searching for the primary source of her grievance. Gordon's eyes eventually fell to her abdomen, finding that Anna's right hand was firmly pressing against the centre of her stomach. She was obviously trying to stem the flow of blood from a wound, but despite how much pressure she was applying, crimson liquid was still leaking from between her fingers.

Acting on impulse, Gordon placed his own hand overtop of Anna's, applying an added pressure to try to stop the bleeding. "Hang on Anna," Gordon spoke slowly trying to rid himself of the icy fear gnawing at him. "I'll get you out of here."

A laugh escaped her at his words, broken by the coughing fits wracking her system. There was no humour in it, only the grimness from one who knew that they were on the verge of death. "I...I might have...bel...believed you...earlier."

"You still should, I'll help you." Gordon was beginning to sound desperate, even to his own ears.

"Gordon," Anna spoke slowly, her voice as serious as he'd ever heard it, "I've...lost a lot of...of blood and...its...not stopping. I'm...never gonna make it."

Gordon could feel moisture gathering in his eyes at her matter-of-fact statement. "Anna, I," He paused to swallow, almost overwhelmed by his own emotions, "I am _so_ sorry."

Another deep coughing fit wracked the woman's body. She spoke once it was over, her voice sounding far too weak. "Not...not your fault."

The physicist didn't have the heart to tell her that, in fact, it probably was. He could only watch her, feeling completely helpless as she succumbed to one last coughing fit before finally falling still, the light in her blue eyes extinguishing. Gordon slowly removed his hand from Anna's stomach, doing the same with her own hand as well so he could see what had killed her. Two puncture wounds were present in her flesh, the holes too small and close together to be inflicted with a knife. A snarl was on his face he moment he realized that the damage had been inflicted by claws, making it obvious that the zappers had indeed killed everyone in the lounge.

He doubted that two of the aliens would have been sufficient to slaughter on such a scale so he left Anna's corpse behind, moving through the only remaining unexplored corridor of the T-junction. He couldn't have walked more than fifty metres before he came face to face with three more of the aliens. They seemed surprised by his sudden appearance, taking instinctual steps back as he advanced on them. Gordon could only think of Anna and all the other nameless people the creatures had killed as he drew his Glock. Electricity began to gather toward their outstretched arms, their intent to attack making Gordon swear a red veil had fallen across his eyes as he fired at all three aliens in quick succession. Headshots ensured the first two were down before they even knew what hit them while the last round had been purposely aimed toward the stomach of the third.

The creature fell to the deck with a distressed sound reminiscent of a wail. It tried to rise back to its feet, only to feel an armoured fist grip it by the throat. Gordon wasted no time in raising the Xen-lifeform up and slamming it against the cement wall, aiming his Glock at the creature even while he tightened his grip around the alien's throat. "For every single human that you've killed, I will kill _three_ of your kind!"

Without another word, Gordon aimed his Glock at the alien's head and fired off a single shot, throwing the now lifeless body down to his left. He cast one last hateful glance at the creatures he was starting to regard as monstrous abominations, turning to continue his trek to the surface seconds later.

_For their sake, I hope the borderworld has a protection plan for endangered species. When I'm done with their kind, they're going to need it._

[{}]_  
_

Gordon had learned the hard way not to fire a weapon in an enclosed space, the reverberation was strong enough for those in the area to hear an intense ringing in their ears. But while he had told himself to never do anything so foolish again, the HECU marines didn't seem to care for such an edict. They were in hot pursuit of Gordon in a narrow corridor, firing MP5s as they moved. The constant barrage of gunfire in such an enclosed space was starting to take a toll on the scientist's ears, the ringing was getting louder.

"Gordon!"

The physicist turned to his companion, a security guard named Jay Rapoza who he had helped out of a last tight spot involving the special forces soldiers. They hadn't been free of the HECU for more than a half hour before the soldiers had appeared again, present in a hallway that the two needed to move through. By sheer luck, they had been able to form a gap in the soldier's lines, more luck had allowed them to tear through the enemy's formation before they could close the breach. Now Gordon and Jay were trying to manoeuvre themselves to a location where they could safely disengage and sprint away from the threat. They were outnumbered after all and, from the incessant radio chatter from the squad's Sig Op, enemy reinforcements were obviously on their way.

"We can't stay here forever Gordon!" Jay yelled after firing another burst of rounds from a captured MP5. "We've got to make a break for it, now!"

Clearly, Jay had the same idea as Gordon. The scientist fired off one last burst at a soldier he found too be more than a little too close. The discharging 9mm rounds tore through the only unprotected part of the man's head, his face. Gordon turned to his companion even before the lifeless body hit the ground, "Go!"

Jay gave a nod in acknowledgement, firing one last burst from his SMG before disengaging, sprinting around the bend in the corridor only fifteen metres away and disappearing from sight.

Gordon exchanged his own MP5 for a grenade. Rather than make use of an M-67 fragmentation grenade, however, Gordon opted to reach for the single M18 smoke grenade he had looted from a soldier's corpse. The olive casing was fitted with a single red line across the top of the device, a denotation Gordon believed reflected the actual colour of the issuing smoke. He neither knew nor cared what the difference was between colours, all he knew was that he could use it for cover.

Pulling the pin from the grenade, the physicist tossed it toward the still advancing HECU. Smoke started emerging from the bottom of the canister after only two seconds. By the time it made contact with the floor, in the centre of the enemy squad, red smoke had already filled a significant portion of the corridor, enough to allow Gordon to safely make his own retreat. He was too busy concentrating on making a clear getaway that he never noticed the lack of pursuing soldiers, or shots fired his way.

Gordon sprinted around the hallway bend, finding himself moving toward a catwalk that connected the upper maintenance levels of Sector E, separating him from the rail system running underneath. Jay was already on the other side, maintaining a keeling position with his MP5 aimed toward the hallway his companion had just come from. "Let's go Gordon!"

The physicist needed no further encouragement, wanting to get as far away from HECU marines as he possibly could. The moment he crossed the centre of the catwalk, however, an explosion ripped the metalwork in half, propelling Gordon into the air with ears ringing and a searing pain flaring throughout his body. He felt his hand scrape against metallic grating when he felt himself falling, making him claw at the object in desperation to prevent a descent into the electric railings below. The sudden jarring motion made the pain in his body much more prominent and it was all he could do not to let go. His vision was hazy and he desperately tried to locate his glasses, feeling a surge of relief when he realized that the spectacles had gotten caught in the collar of his suit. He quickly placed them back over his eyes, sighing in relief that the lenses weren't cracked.

"Gordon!" The almost fearful sounding shout was soon replaced by a more relieved repeat of the MIT graduate's name as Jay could be seen looking down at him from above.

The security guard looked be too far up for Gordon's liking and he knew, even before Jay extended his hand, that he would need to climb to have any hope of reaching the second floor. The second Gordon made the attempt at ascension, however, he wished he hadn't. He'd experienced a fair amount of pain since the start of the Resonance Cascade and was already adept at ignoring it, but the sheer agony he could feel in his left arm was stronger than anything he'd experienced in the past several hours.

_Is my arm broken?_ Gordon felt the cold grip of fear claw at his heart with the very thought.

_Warning: HEV power levels have declined to eight percent of maximum. Multiple lacerations detected, insufficient power for adequate morphine administration._

_Great._

"Grab my hand Gordon!"

The physicist ignored his own sarcastic musing at the security guard's words and tried to climb again, only to let out a cry of pain the moment he extended his arm up. It felt as though the limb was coming close to being ripped out of its socket.

"You've got to get up here Gordon! They'll be coming for us!"

Gordon acknowledged his companion by trying again, snarling through the agony while he started to slowly hoist himself up. A sharp creak could be heard seconds later, putting a halt to his movement while he tried to track the source of the noise. His eyes eventually fell on the lone cable still attached to his section of catwalk. It looked close to unravelling. Jay was yelling for him to get a move on, but all Gordon could do was stare at him.

The MIT graduate's resigned look to accept what was about to happen did not go unnoticed by Jay. A defiant look crossed the security guard's grizzled features, "Don't even _think_ about it," He said while he tried to extended his arm just a bit further. "Only a little further, just a _little_ further."

Gordon tried one last time, extending his injured arm as much as possible before pulling with the last remnants of his strength.

"Reach!"

The physicist followed the command, finally able to grab onto Jay's outstretched hand. He had little energy remaining to pull himself up, but he still tried to assist Jay, using his other arm to try to ascend faster. The security guard grunted with the effort of bringing his companion up, shuffling back the closer Gordon got to the second level.

"Targets acquired! Range, eighty metres."

Gordon risked a glance to the other side of the chasm, widened eyes staring at the four soldiers he and James had evaded earlier. It wasn't much of a stretch to realize that they had fallen into a trap, one far more elaborate than Gordon would have thought the HECU could create. Now he and Jay were at their mercy. with so short a range between them, there was barley a chance of evading enemy fire.

Still, Gordon wasn't willing to just roll over and let himself be murdered by the very enemies he'd spent hours killing. He grasped the only ranged weapon still on his person, the Glock 17. Fumbling for the holstered pistol while forcing himself to hold onto Jay was one of the hardest things he'd ever done. Even so, it only took him a few seconds to grip his weapon and turn to aim at the soldiers. Two precise bullets tore through the skulls of the first two marines Gordon was able to see, the discharging 9mm rounds striking them just shy of their protective Kevlar helmets.

Gordon was able to get one more shot off before the pain in his arm became too much to bear, disappointed to see that the round only impacted into the concrete wall next to his intended target. He dropped his arm, grimacing from both the pain in his body and the sudden impact of bullets against the hardened plating of his HEV suit. The very moment Gordon was able to extend his arm again, he did so, Glock in hand. It took five rounds to finally put an end to the combatants, giving them enough time to squeeze off more than a few retaliatory shots.

The MIT graduate felt himself plunge a bit when the last soldier fell. In blind panic he assumed his grip on Jay's hand was slipping. It wasn't until he looked up that he realized Jay was the one who had slipped. Gordon looked around for another way to climb up on his own but, in his current state, he knew that none of the scenarios running through his mind would work for him. Before he could make the decision to try one of them anyway, he felt himself being pulled up again. Instead of the loud grunts Jay had been giving earlier, the man was screaming wildly the entire time he pulled his companion up.

Scrambling to his feet the moment he crashed down in front of the security guard, Gordon moved to his side, feeling his blood run cold at the sight of multiple crimson soaked holes in Jay's flak vest.

_Oh no._

The physicist immediately put his hands over the wound to try to control the bleeding, but Jay smacked them away with a pained cry. "It's...late. T...too...many."

Gordon took a closer look at the man's abdomen and couldn't deny that it seemed that way to him too. There were at least three bullet holes that looked to have penetrated the vest, two of which looked to be deep into the man's flesh.

"We...ven."

Gordon leaned closer to Jay, trying to understand his seemingly unintelligible attempt at speech. "What?"

The security guard let out a pained gasp at first, briefly exposing crimson stained teeth. "S...said...we're...ev...even."

Jay's body went still before Gordon could even acknowledge that he had understood. He had saved the guard's life when they first met and he had just repaid him by saving his own. It took a couple of minutes before Gordon was able to take hold of Jay's MP5 and press on, both because of his injuries and because he was tired of watching people die.

_It would be so much easier not to care at all._

But Gordon did care, and he made sure that the next group of HECU soldiers he ran into knew it, when he beat an entire squad to death with only his crowbar. He took pleasure in both the kills and satisfying his rage, a rage that had built up from all of his experiences in the facility, an emotion so intense that it would stick with him from that point on.

[{}]

Gordon soon felt himself being immersed into a void, a low voice whispering in the dark. "Gordon, please wake up."

Jolting back to reality as though he'd been shocked with electricity, Gordon's eyes snapped open, widened pupils and frantic mind trying to make sense of his surroundings. It took him several moments to realize he was lying on his back before he started to rise, only to find a hand firmly pressing against the chest plate of his HEV suit. He felt himself tense at the contact, his combat instincts were starting to kick in.

"Take it easy Gordon! Its okay."

_Alyx._ The veteran instantly relaxed the moment he heard the familiar voice, realizing that he was in Doctor Kliener's lab and separated from Black Mesa, the Resonance Cascade, and HECU marines by twenty years of time. The soothing effect on his mind was a welcome change from the turbulent pattern evoked by the terrible memories he'd just relived. He brought his gaze away from the dim lights overhead to his right side, finding Alyx sitting on the floor beside him, her brown eyes showing a magnitude of worry and concern only matched by the expression on her face.

"I had to give you another injection. Doctor Kliener thinks you pushed yourself far past your limits and that your body just couldn't tolerate it anymore."

Her nervous explanation was given without the slightest prompt, and it made Gordon raise an eyebrow at his mentor's hypothesis. The HEV suit was _designed_ to let a person exceed their body's limitations. Gordon had yet to find a point where clusters of injuries alone would bring him down. Still, he couldn't blame Issac. He doubted anyone would suspect that the One Free Man's real affliction was memories of Black Mesa.

The MIT graduate tried to move to a sitting position, only to pause halfway through the movement as a blur of images flashed before his eyes. He gripped his head briefly, trying to quell the sudden fierce headache burning in his skull. He turned to Alyx once it had subsided, a questioning look on his face. "How long was I out?"

"Two hours."

Her quietly spoken answer made Gordon jump to his feet, pointedly ignoring his body's strong aversion to such a manoeuvre while he started heading out of Doctor Kliener's lab. _Two hours?_ If he'd been out for so long, he could only imagine what Eli was going through at the Citadel.

Alyx sprang after him, grabbing his arm to get his attention. "Gordon, wait!"

"What?" The veteran snapped as he whirled around to face her, anger brimming in his eyes.

He regretted speaking the second he opened his mouth, not just because of the brief glimpse of hurt he caught in Alyx's expression, but because he was lashing out at the one person who had shown nothing but concern for him since he had met her. "I...I'm sorry Alyx."

His apology, while sincere, did nothing to stem the flow of rage in his system. Even though he had just been forced to relive some of his worst memories from the Resonance Cascade, images were continually cycling before his eyes, as though his mind wanted him to confront every horrific detail he'd taken great pains to suppress. Gordon felt betrayed at that, refusing to believe there was a part of him that wanted to relive such sickening terrors. It only served to make his anger that much more prominent.

"Its okay Gordon," Alyx replied slowly, surprised that he was showing so much emotion. In the entire time she'd known him, he had displayed more of his emotions in the past few hours than he had in two days. She felt glad that Gordon was finally beginning to express his feelings rather than suppress them, but it hadn't escaped her notice that he had only expressed negative feelings. She'd yet to see the man so much as crack a smile.

"Doctor Kliener wanted to give you something when you woke up, right Doc?" Alyx turned to where she'd last seen Issac Kliener diligently analyzing the readings on his computer from the last teleportation, only to see the man now leaning back in his chair, sleeping. A small smile slipped onto the young woman's face as she approached her surrogate uncle and nudged him awake. "Doctor Kliener, Gordon's awake now."

The senior scientist scrambled out of his chair at that, turning wildly before he caught sight of his pupil. "Good to see you up and about Gordon," He paused to adjust his spectacles, "You had me worried. Feeling better?"

_Not in the least_, Gordon thought as he mentally pushed aside more memories still screaming to be recognized. Outwardly, however, he only nodded.

"Excellent." Issac spoke as he started ruffling through the contents on his desk. "Now if I can just find...Ah, here we are." He eventually picked up a small syringe and stepped toward Gordon. "I noticed the damage you sustained to your suit while you were unconscious and I thought you might want this. They're nanites Gordon," Issac elaborated when he saw the man's confused expression, "Designed to make repairs to your suit. I had planned to integrate them into the Mark V before you arrived, but I never got a chance to field test them."

Gordon nodded slightly at his mentor's explanation, understanding why he hadn't simply been injected while he was unconscious; Issac had no way of knowing what exactly the nanoscale probes would do, they were experimental. The word alone made the veteran cringe, testing unknown objects only led to bad things as far as he was concerned. "I'll pass."

Doctor Kliener, who had initially taken his pupil's nod as a signal to proceed, stopped short at the abrupt refusal. The wary look Gordon was giving the nanites did not go unnoticed by his mentor. "Gordon, no harm will come from this."

A disgusted snort escaped the veteran while he angrily pointed toward the closest window. "Yes, because we have _such_ a track record with success."

Issac had the decency to look ashamed at his pupil's scathing sarcasm, "Gordon...none of us-"

"Could have predicted what would happen," Gordon finished with a scowl, "I know." He paused, feeling like he should apologize, but knowing that he couldn't. There was an inferno's worth of rage burning inside him and he couldn't extinguish it, even if he wanted to. "That doesn't make it better."

He turned towards the lab's exit, only to stop short at Alyx's exasperated shout. "Can you take care of yourself for just a minute!"

Gordon let out a breath, realizing that he should direct his anger toward something more deserving of it, the Combine. And he couldn't do that if he had to worry about the condition of his suit. He locked eyes with Alyx, still able to see the concern reflected in her hazel irises, even though it was hiding behind frustration. She glared at him in a way that made it clear she would only allow him to leave if he agreed, so he did. "Okay."

Alyx looked surprised at his concession while Doctor Kliener tentatively stepped forward, pressing the syringe into a small port underneath the lambda logo of the hazard suit. Gordon glanced back at the scientist once he had dumped the nanites into the HEV, having expected to feel something. Issac only smiled, his eyes resting on the damaged area.

Gordon followed his mentor's gaze and had to admit that he was impressed. The nanoscopic probes had repaired the damaged sections of the suit's hardened plates in seconds. The visual observation was confirmed moments later by the HEV, "Analysis: High impact reactive armour plating at one hundred percent integrity."

"This is a one time thing I'm afraid Gordon. I have yet to discover a way to circumvent the Combine's imposed dormant protocols on the probes. Of course," Doctor Kliener continued, seemingly lost in his own world at this point while he shuffled back to his desk, "I'd have to find a way around the energy demands for each nanite. It makes you wonder how the Combine are able to do anything with such energy consuming equipment."

The veteran shook his head lightly at how easily his mentor could become immersed in his work. It was a similarity they both shared, with the only difference being the nature of such work. Gordon's specialty used to consist of analyzing collected information and developing hypothesises, now it was nothing short of mass murder. He wouldn't go so far as to say that the extreme shift in specialty didn't bother him, just that it didn't perturb him as much he knew it should. The Resonance Cascade had taken a lot of things from him, even after twenty years he was still trying to asses all the damage.

"Gordon?"

Quickly pushing his thoughts away at Alyx's voice, Gordon turned to regard her.

"You okay?"

A unwanted ripple of anger coursed through the MIT graduate's mind at her question. He was too far from okay for words. He took a moment to try to calm himself, going so far as to bite his tongue to keep himself from lashing out at her again. "Ask me again when I can give you an answer."

Though completely confused at Gordon's response, Alyx wisely decided to drop the matter for now. "Okay, well Barney contacted us while you were out." Alyx spoke as she moved toward the exit to Doctor Kliener's lab. "He's working on setting up a staging area by the Citadel. I sent Dog ahead of you, so you shouldn't have too much trouble getting there."

Gordon highly doubted that, but one look at Alyx let him know that she fully expected the opposite too. She was either attempting to sound reassuring or else just being hopeful. Whichever it was Gordon wasn't sure how to respond, so he opted for a nod of acknowledgement.

A simple inputting of numbers into a small keypad let the lab's heavy door slide apart. "I'm going to move Doctor Kliener to a safer location and then I'll catch up with you." She paused, as though considering whether to say more. "Gordon, please be careful."

The veteran turned his gaze away from the dimly lit hallway outside to face Alyx's almost pleading expression. In the past he would've simply shrugged off her concern, acknowledged her request, and moved on. Now, however, there was a part of him that wanted to at least attempt to alleviate the woman's worry. It wasn't a large part of Gordon by any means, but it was enough. "I...I'll try Alyx."

There was no hiding Alyx's surprise once the words were out of the former scientist's mouth. She recovered quickly enough, though Gordon could've sworn he saw a light smile playing across her lips as she waved him through.

* * *

**"Open the suppression door. Open the suppression door!" I guess that whole thing is a lot like that scene in Star Wars Episode IV where Han Solo is running away from Stromtroopers. **

**Thanks to Deremix, HedyLamarr, KRSONMar, Nogoodnms _[Mad props to the hood yo]_, Lfan8, Felicity101, and ghillie in the mist for their words of praise on chapter eight. Good to know that time spent on Overwiki wasn't a waste.**

**I thought about putting in a last thought from Gordon before ending this chapter, since the title belies an interest in ending on a 'happy note.' But after looking through what I'd already written on Black Mesa, I thought 'good christ, I may as well.'**

**Next chapter will depict some of that urban warfare I've been promising. RPGs and Striders anyone?**


	10. Freezing Point

**_Chapter X: Freezing Point_**

()

From their colossal centre of command in the Citadel, the Combine had established a heavy presence in City Seventeen. Regular patrols of armoured personnel carriers in the streets, apartment raids by Civil Protection, aerial sweeps with helicopters and gunships, and the looming threat of the quick responding Overwatch soldiers had served to keep the citizens fearful and subdued.

Doctor Wallace Breen had commented on the state of affairs a number of times. Every citizen had been forced to endure so many hours of Breencast propaganda that many of the Administrator's speeches had been unwillingly memorized.

_In order for us to advance our society into the future we must be willing to let go of that which has prevented progress in the past. _

Civil Protection forces served, in the eyes of the Administrator, as a dedicated police force charged with rooting out dissidence and corruption within the populace. Raids, searches, and seizures were necessary to ensure that nothing could interfere with the delicate state of balance the Combine had carefully crafted.

_Security is one of the many gifts our benefactors have bestowed upon us. In their care, humanity has reached a pinnacle of safety our ancestors could have scarcely imagined. To that end, we must guard against its collapse, and that is where the dedicated forces of Civil Protection come in. _

To the Resistance, they were a cadre of traitors willing to throw away everything for a shot at better living conditions. All of them were nothing short of a disgrace.

With their legion strong presence in the streets and divisions of support vehicles ready to assist, the metro-cops were a frightening sight to citizens. But, it was the Overwatch that really projected the feeling of fear. The trans-humans were normally posted near the precincts close to the Citadel itself; they were rarely seen anywhere else. There were times, though, when Overwatch was needed to quell pockets of opposition, or to clean up the odd mess created by Civil Protection. When that happened, issued directives were carried out with brutal efficiency. If the trans-humans were commanded to pacify an area, than _anyone_ not flying their colours would be terminated.

_I wish to take a moment to address the...concern many citizens have had regarding the actions of the Overwatch in precinct two. I will not waste time illustrating what is clearly visible for everyone to see, an apartment has been abandoned, its occupants, forcibly evicted. The question of why has been posed many times since, but it is not one that has an easy answer. Our society, despite all the advancements and progress we have made, stands close to a knife's edge. In order to keep ourselves from falling back into the abyss, we must maintain stability. It is much more than simple balance, it is a continuance without change, a state of permanence. It is the key to a thriving civilization and ours __must__ be maintained. _

The Resistance knew that the truth was nowhere near as complicated as the Administrator would have everyone believe. It was a simple matter of cleansing an apartment of life, the justification being the belief that the building contained a great many Resistance members and sympathizers. Such was not the case. The truth was slowly whispered throughout underground channels until, finally, it had been heard throughout the entire metropolis.

The thick layer of fear permeating the city shifted to anger.

But despite enraged cries for vengeance from the Resistance, whispers of fear circulated throughout the city, a fear of the closely observant, swift responding Overwatch and the terror they would bring against those participating in open rebellion. It was clear that the citizens needed to be shown that the trans-humans were not the perfect soldiers that Combine propaganda depicted. Attempted raids on Overwatch controlled bases did not bode well for the Resistance assault parties however, nor for the faith of the citizens.

But just as it was starting to look as though such a dramatic example would never come to pass, it did. In the blink of an eye, Nova Prospekt was razed to the ground. The centre of Overwatch operations, the source of horrific cybernetic procedures, was destroyed; and all because of the actions of two people. Excitement buzzed within the metropolis at the news, confidence surged. For surely, if two people had caused the greatest Combine stronghold to fall, then a city-wide uprising would bring the Combine to their knees.

The fear had been expunged.

Volunteers swarmed Resistance safe houses, ready to bring the fight to the Combine. Arms were distributed, spirits were lifted, and banners were raised. The revolution was nigh.

Seven days worth of fighting had done a number on a majority of the city. Streets once immaculately clean were now riddled with debris, bodies, and rubble from collapsed sections of buildings. Most of the structures in the urban landscape bore the scars of rebellion, from crushed walls to collapsed roofs, very few buildings were left unaffected. A light haze hung in the air around the metropolis, a mixture of smoke, gunpowder, and dust that served to remind everyone just how long they had been fighting.

Such a reminder was hardly needed for the rebels or the Combine but, for Gordon Freeman, it gave him a better idea of what he had missed. Part of him had believed the sheer scale of the conflict would overwhelm him, but it hadn't even fazed him. The former scientist had been moving further into City Seventeen for a couple of hours now, leaving a swathe of destruction in his wake as he cleared out building after building.

The rage he'd been trying to contain since the flashbacks of Black Mesa was put to good use as he slaughtered enemy garrisons. The memories he'd been forced to relive cried out for blood, a desire Gordon satisfied with shotgun blasts and crowbar swings. Part of him was disturbed by how easily he was basking in the rage, by how quickly he was succumbing to the whims of an emotion he had once done everything to guard against. It made that same part of him grateful that no more memories had threatened to move to the forefront of his mind.

A trace of fear soon followed that gratitude, whispering the unsettling question of what more memories would make him want to do. The Resonance Cascade survivor was not accustomed to such distractions and it made him pause for a moment in a pathway between apartment buildings. The SPAS-12 previously gripped in his hands was slung across his back as Gordon dropped into a kneeling position, pressing his hands against his forehead in a futile attempt to quell the throbbing in his skull.

Despite the constant thunderous crack of automatic weapons fire reverberating throughout the area, the veteran knew his headache wasn't caused by a sound that, by now, had become part of his life. The affliction had been plaguing him sporadically ever since his slip of reality in Doctor Kliener's lab. There were no patterns to it as far as Gordon could tell, though finding the cause for his occasional headaches had been the least of his concerns.

Having only the unmistakable landmark of the Citadel to guide his movements, Gordon had unknowingly marched directly into a Combine controlled residential block. The former scientist had disrupted enemy deployments as he moved throughout the area, following a path that led him closer, not only to the Citadel, but to the sounds of a pitched skirmish taking place within the very residential area he was now moving through.

The narrow passageway was surrounded by four-story apartments to either side of Gordon, battered walls and cement riddled with bullet holes testified to a long engagement, as did the window frames, whose glass looked to have been destroyed long ago. Muzzle fire flashing near the rectangular openings made it clear why, both rebels and Combine soldiers were firing at each other from within their respective structures. Overwatch seemed to have control at street level, while the Resistance had control of the roof. Squads of trans-humans searched for a way into the Resistance building, only to find themselves forced to seek cover as pulse rifle equipped rebels fired from above.

The One Free Man observed everything from the last remnants of shadow he found within the street, safely hidden from view while he assessed the enemy's strength. He counted at least a half dozen muzzle flashes from different floors of the Combine controlled structure, with another eight scouring the street. The moment the Resistance members opened fire from the roof, Gordon did the same. Discharging double-ought buckshot from his SPAS-12 caught the soldiers completely off guard. By the time the trans-humans realized they had a new threat in their midst, the Resonance Cascade survivor had already cut their numbers down by half. With Overwatch's attention divided, it took only one more blast of buckshot- and a few short bursts of pulse capsules- before the remainder of the squad joined their comrades.

Catching sight of a doorway leading into the Combine controlled apartment, on a side facing away from the battle, Gordon sprinted toward it. Not surprisingly, the entryway was locked, but Gordon only responded by aiming his SPAS-12 at the lock and firing off dual shells of buckshot. He followed up the assault with a kick, watching in satisfaction as the doorframe cracked under the stress, sending the door violently swinging open.

The veteran charged inside without a second thought, taking advantage of the kicked up dust to try and cloak his entrance. He needn't have bothered, however, a quick scan of the small corridor he was in showed no soldiers present. He pressed forward cautiously, finding that the single hallway morphed directly into a staircase that was constructed, like the other apartments Gordon had been in, along an elevator shaft in the middle of the building. With senses highly alert, he began his slow ascent, forest green irises scanning for the slightest hint of movement.

Close proximity of gun-fire brought a halt to Gordon's movements on the second floor, the mixture of radio chatter and pulse fire seemed to come from a bare doorway to his left. Flattening himself against the wall, he risked a glance inside. Three Overwatch soldiers were firing at rebels on the same level, only withdrawing from the windows to either reload or take cover. He paused long enough to ensure he had their locations committed to memory before moving in. Double-ought buckshot struck Gordon's first target dead centre of mass, sending the soldier careening out the window and into the street below. The MIT graduate was already switching targets the moment the weapons' recoil had subsided, cocking the shotgun as he turned to fire at the second trans-human. The buckshot struck its intended mark, killing the second soldier before he could even acknowledge the death of his companion.

Gordon found that his fortune didn't extend to the third soldier. He instinctively fired to where he last seen the final Combine affiliated combatant, only to discover that the trans-human had rolled away from the window, readying his rifle in preparation for a counter-attack. The discharging buckshot pellets, while not completely on target, struck enough of the soldier's right side to force him to drop his weapon, a pained grunt escaping him. Gordon corrected his aim and fired once more, though he wasn't quick enough to prevent the soldier from activating his COM.

"Security breach! Intru-"

Close range twelve gauge shells cut the soldier off before he could finish, but if the sound of combat boots thudding against the wooden floorboards was any indication, the Combine were investigating anyway. Pausing long enough to reload his shotgun, Gordon made his way out of the room and charged up the staircase, intent on meeting the enemy head on. The Combine obviously weren't expecting such a tactic when they caught sight of him halfway up the third floor. Their surprise allowed the Resonance Cascade survivor to kill a single trans-human and injure another before their cybernetic sides propelled them into action.

Pulse fire riddled Gordon's position, but he continued pushing forward, moving through the onslaught at a steady walk as he fired off shell after shell from his pump-action weapon. Spreads of pellets answered the Combine's automatic weapons fire, impacting into armour and flesh as Gordon fired again and again. He directed his shots to those on the third floor first, switching to target those firing at him from above after. He didn't stop his assault until the last soldier fell to a point blank shot on the top floor, the clearly audible sound of the ejecting twelve gauge shell signalled the end of the engagement.

After taking a few minutes to ensure that the building was secure, Gordon moved to the fourth floor. A large hole in the wall of the floor's only accessible room gave Gordon a view of the street below and the rebel controlled building across from him. The concrete wall seemed to have been breached on their side too, though a large length of wooden framework covered by sheets of plate metal had been fitted across the majority of the hole. The former scientist believed it to be an attempt at covering up the breach but, after realizing that it extended far higher up than was necessary for such a purpose, reasoned that it had to be something else.

The question of what was answered when the objected lowered on suspension cables, stopping when it came in contact with the ledge on Gordon's side. A rebel eagerly waved him through, "Okay, you can come across!"

_Ah_, Gordon thought as he stepped onto the metallic surface, _a bridge_.

"Doctor Freeman?" The voice sounded the moment Gordon stepped inside the rebel controlled structure. He turned to face the speaker, a man easily in his late thirties. The rebel's haggard looking face broke into a slight smile when he confirmed his own suspicion. "I can hardly believe it, we heard reports on the radio saying that you were back in the city, but I didn't think you'd be moving through this precinct. Name's Mitchell by the way."

Gordon spared a nod at the man in acknowledgement.

"We're damn lucky you came around when you did, we've been locked in a sort of stalemate with Combine forces for a few hours now." Mitchell ran a hand through his closely shaven black hair, a sign of weariness creeping into his hazel eyes. "I was beginning to wonder if we'd ever be able to break the deadlock."

Mitchell's quietly spoken statement made it clear that more than a few rebels had died trying to hold position in the building, making Gordon wonder what the purpose was. This was the only Resistance group he'd encountered since leaving Doctor Kliener's lab, and he'd been starting to wonder if he had been on the right track or not. "Why exactly are you here Mitchell?"

The man snapped out of his thoughts at Gordon's question, slinging his pulse rifle while he motioned for the MIT graduate to follow. "Come on in and I'll explain."

Mildly intrigued as to what was going on, Gordon followed his escort into a neighbouring room filled with tables, chairs, and a few mattresses nestled along the left side- all of which were unoccupied. Mitchell moved straight to the closest table, one which Gordon could see a large map laid out on. A map that, on closer inspection, looked to be a detailed layout of a section of City Seventeen.

"Alright, we're here right now," Mitchell said, pointing to an area where a lambda logo had been marked atop a black coloured square. "My group has been charged with a kind of...auxiliary role; keeping areas secure to allow for quick movement of reinforcements. Our job is to keep this area free of Combine." The rebel ran a hand over a large area, one that the map's scale showed to be at least half a kilometre's worth of space. "The problem is that this road comes close to the Citadel precincts, and the Combine know it. They've dug in _hard_. We're talking barricades, turret emplacements, and one hell of a garrison."

Gordon nodded as he studied the road's path, finding that it did, indeed, connect to a main street in City Seventeen, one that would eventually lead to the Citadel itself. If they could breach the Combine defences along the roadway, the Resistance would have a clear run for the enemy's centre of command. But, if Mitchell description's of the blockade was any indication, they wouldn't last long out there. "Do you have a plan on how to punch through without killing what's left of your group?"

Frowning briefly at the One Free Man's terse tone and matter-of-fact phrasing, Mitchell slowly nodded before turning his gaze back to the map. "Before the uprising started, we left a shipment of arms in a safe house until we could arrange transport out of the city. Unfortunately, the Combine launched a raid just days before the fighting started and discovered it." The group leader pointed to a building about a hundred metres away from their current position, "The safe house is here. I knew it would be well guarded so I've been trying to thin their numbers by leading them here. Overwatch kept dispatching reinforcements though, most likely through their road block, it just became a stalemate."

"What's in the safe house?"

A smile stretched across Mitchell's face once he turned to look at Doctor Freeman, "RPGs mainly."

A nod met the statement, Gordon realizing that such heavy ordnance would shatter the Combine's blockade. His gaze fell to the map, studying the route to the safe house while he mentally marked the path he would need to take to get there. "I'll go ahead of you and clear the way."

Mitchell gaped at the departing form of Gordon Freeman, hardly believing that the man was willing to charge headfirst into a Combine position. "Doctor Freeman, it'll take me at least twenty minutes to get everyone ready for an assault. Wouldn't you rather have a squad go with you?"

A grimace shot through Gordon at the question, a query foreboding enough that it made him pause in the room's doorway. "No," He spoke quietly after a few seconds of silence, his voice just loud enough for Mitchell to hear, "I wouldn't."

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"Contact sighted! Anticitizen One on approach!"

Despite the ear-shattering boom of grenades detonating near the large pile of rubble Gordon was using as cover, the frenzied radio chatter of a Combine garrison could still be clearly heard. Gordon had made his way to the rebel arms depot as quickly as he could manage, killing any trans-humans that appeared in his sights. After fifteen minutes of plunging through enemy lines, the Resonance Cascade survivor was less than thirty metres to his destination, a fact that did not go unnoticed by his foes.

"All units, go active and intercept."

"Confirmed, push up, push up!"

More pulse fire rained down on Gordon's position, forcing him to crouch even lower behind his cover. Blind firing his SPAS-12 overhead was sufficient to stall the enemy's advance for a few seconds, enough time for the veteran to withdraw his last grenade. He paused just long enough to pull the pin and count off a second before hurling the explosive toward the rapidly advancing forms of Overwatch troops. Gordon had timed the detonation to inflict maximum damage, holding onto the active grenade just long enough for it to explode mid-air, killing an entire squad of over-confident soldiers.

He was moving seconds later, charging toward his destination with a newly reloaded shotgun in hand. Twelve gauge shells clattered to the cracked cement laden pathway around him, the discharging buckshot striking soldier after soldier. Overwatch continued to throw themselves at Anticitizen One, acting on the hope that their sheer numbers would halt their target's advance. But each one was cut down before their armoured fingers so much as grazed the triggers of their weapons. The One Free Man kept up his charge, always in motion, keeping up a steady pattern of reloading and firing.

The moment he was out of shells for his SPAS-12, Gordon hurled it at the closest Combine soldier, barley registering the weapon's impact against the targeted trans-human's helmet as he reached for his crowbar. Only five combatants were left, one to his immediate front, two further back, and the last were to his left and right. His shotgun had stunned the soldier to his left, leaving Gordon to bash the Combine combatant to his front across the face before bringing the hooked end to smash against the one on his right. The force of the blows was more than enough to render the two unconscious.

The last enemy soldiers still standing were slowly bringing their pulse rifles to bear, now that their comrades were no longer in the line of fire. Their cybernetic alterations allowed for fast reflexes, but over a hundred hours of seemingly non-stop fighting had made Gordon faster. The MIT graduate drew his USP sidearm in one swift movement, putting two precise bullets into the skulls of his targets before they could raise their weapons to an attack position. A final shot echoed throughout the area, the discharging 9mm bullet piercing through the helmet of the trans-human Gordon had thrown his shotgun at.

The silence that followed the abrupt end to the skirmish seemed almost too surreal to the former scientist. He half expected something to send his combat instincts kicking right back in, but nothing did. Pausing just long enough to catch his breath and pick up a discarded pulse rifle, Gordon moved to the rebel's informal arms depot. Compared to the number of soldiers he had encountered just to get within sight of the safehouse, Gordon felt more than a little suspicious that only a single Overwatch squad had been tasked with guarding the rebel ordnance. After dispatching the soldiers and conducting an exhaustive search throughout the entire building, however, he was forced to concede that the area was in fact, secure, and that no hidden surprises were in store for him.

That wasn't to say that he wasn't surprised at all, for the amount of firepower the rebels had been able to acquire was greater than he would've thought possible. Not only were there stacks of looted Combine weaponry- pulse rifles, MP-7As, and grenades- but there were also TAC-vests, flares, and a cluster of launchers that Gordon had only used a few times before. About a metre in length, the green coloured launchers featured a laser sight that, when pointed toward a target, emitted laser radiation that enabled laser seeker equipped ordnance to home in on the source. With open ends to both the front and rear of the launcher, it was, essentially, a recoilless weapon. Unlike the narrow, streamlined front, however, a cone shaped rear kept the dispelling propellant confined to a fixed arc of 600 mils. Gordon had learned the hard way at Black Mesa that it was called a 'backblast' for a reason.

"Doctor Freeman?"

The sound of his name being called from the floor below made Gordon tense, his hand automatically moving for the pulse-rifle slung across his back. He checked the movement, however, the moment his hand gripped the weapon's pistol grip, realizing that the voice had lacked the distinct sound of cybernetic modification. It didn't stop him from making sure his hand was near his holstered USP Match. He wasn't about to let his guard down completely, after all.

Cautiously descending the staircase to the first floor, Gordon relaxed slightly when he spotted Mitchell and a few other rebels clustered around the front door. Mitchell caught sight of him seconds later, regarding him with nothing short of awe once he came to a halt in front of them; Gordon found the scrutiny a little unnerving.

"Looks like my estimate was fairly accurate." The slight grin on Mitchell's face was replaced by a look of confusion. "We found the route you took," The rebel continued after a lengthy pause, "Did...Did you?...

"Yes."

The simply spoken affirmative to having single-handedly killed two platoons worth of Overwatch troops made a look of incredulous surprise flash across Mitchell's face. The expression faded not long after it appeared, however, the group leader reigning in his own amazement when he remembered why they were here. "Did you find the cache?"

Gordon nodded in answer, pointing to the floor above. The four rebels accompanying Mitchell moved upstairs the moment the group leader gave the signal. Gordon watched them go, a quizzical eyebrow raised as he turned back to Mitchell.

"The rest of my group are outside," Mitchell spoke the moment he caught sight of the MIT graduate's expression. "They'll join us once they've made sure Overwatch won't be sending reinforcements."

Nodding in understanding, Gordon moved back to the weapons cache to see what he could take for himself, Mitchell following.

It took ten minutes to arm the twelve other rebels in Mitchell's group with new weapons and gear, another five to make sure everyone knew how to properly operate the newly acquired explosive ordnance, and two more to ensure that every rebel was carrying two extra RPG rockets in portable containers.

Crates of high explosive rounds had been placed in a room near the RPGs, each one filled with four stubby, diamond shaped rockets. Small containers had been placed nearby, each of which was composed of two long, plastic constructed tubes welded together. Small bars on the sides were originally designed to function as handholds, but had, instead, been fitted with a harness that allowed the container to be worn like a backpack.

The minute the rebels were ready, Mitchell had a squad remain behind to keep the building secure, while the rest moved toward the Combine fortification barring access to the Citadel. Five were equipped with RPGs, leaving the rest of the assault party to grab hold of pulse rifles and MP-7As. Gordon opted to use an RPG himself, exchanging his pulse rifle for a launcher. With a USP Match holstered on his left thigh, crowbar held in place on the right, Gravity Gun slung across his back- rocket container awkwardly placed overtop- and now a launcher mounted on his right shoulder, Gordon was starting to feel weighed down by all the gear.

It made him grateful, not for the first time, for the heavy shoulder plating on his HEV suit.

The trip to the Combine's roadblock was mostly uneventful, only the odd engagement with Overwatch reminding everyone that they were moving into enemy territory. Ten minutes of navigating through roads and narrow alleyways led the group of rebels to a deserted apartment building, one that connected to the street hosting the Combine fortification.

Gordon handed his RPG to Mitchell while he glanced outside, understanding what the rebel had meant earlier about the Combine having an impressive array of defence. The street was swarming with barricades, from the metre high particle-shield equipped ones to the towering metallic platforms that cut across an entire section of roadway. The former were each fitted with turret emplacements and each manned by a single soldier, while entire squads stood watch on the platforms, safe behind a combination of solid metal and security screens as they kept a vigil over their comrades below.

A closer observation showed that the smaller barricades littered the street, guaranteeing that attacking forces would be kept contained along a fixed path, their strength slowly weakened by enemy fire until it had all but diminished. With more than eight turrets creating large sections of overlapping firing arcs, Gordon knew that any standard assault force would be cut down before it could even reach the main wall. Of course, the explosive ordnance now at the Resistance's disposal meant that they wouldn't be conducting a 'standard' assault.

"So," Mitchell asked once he handed Gordon back his RPG, "What do you think?"

"I'll go out first and draw their fire." The veteran spoke with no hesitation, knowing full well that they would be fired on the moment they appeared in the street. "Get three others with RPGs on the roof, they'll need the angle. Everyone else will get ready to move out on my signal. " Gordon was about to move, but paused to turn back to Mitchell. "No-one moves or makes any attempt to fire until I do so. Are we clear?"

Taken aback at the sudden intensity of the One Free Man's expression, Mitchell quickly nodded.

"Good."

Without another word, Gordon darted out of the apartment building, not able to take more than a few steps before pulse fire was raining down on his position. He moved in a diagonal pattern, sprinting for an abandoned store on the opposite side of the street. Zig-zagging proved sufficient enough to throw off the aim of most of the Overwatch troops, though the turret operators were still tracking his movements fairly well.

The moment he was close enough to the store, Gordon dove inside, placing the RPG ahead of him to take the brunt of the impact against the building's glass window. The sound of gun-fire ceased the moment his armoured form ploughed across the wooden floor, giving Gordon the opportunity to move back to his feet and scan enemy lines unhindered. A Combine APC was only a few metres up from his position, the destroyed chassis having been hastily cleared off the road and into an alley between the store he was in and another building. Even in shambles, there was enough of the vehicle's dark gray armour plating still attached to let the APC blend in with the shadows around it; Gordon doubted he would've seen it if he wasn't as close as he was.

After mentally marking out the quickest path to the APC, Gordon sprinted out of the store and headed for new cover. HEV plating thudded against those of Combine design seconds later, pulse fire impacting into the area where the Resonance Cascade survivor's torso had been a split second before. The second the barrage came to a halt, he stepped out of cover with his RPG shouldered and primed. The briefest of glances was thrown over his shoulder to make sure that there were no objects in range of the backblast- for the thought of flaming hot propellant rebounding back to him was not a pleasant one. He had already mentally marked the location of his first target before he stepped out of cover, pointing his launcher at a turret operator in the centre of the roadblock, leaving him free to pull the trigger.

A loud whoosh resounded throughout the street as the rocket's propellant was ignited, sending the explosive payload zooming toward its intended target. A deafening boom followed the sight of the rocket's detonation, kicking up a curtain of smoke along the roadway. Before Gordon even got a chance to see the results of the explosion, more rockets were fired into the heart of the Combine blockade, three from the roof and two from the street; Mitchell followed Gordon's command to the letter, leading the others out onto the road the moment he heard the first explosion. Even through the ear-shattering cracks of multiple rocket impacts, a cacophony of electronically modified screams could still be heard, letting the rebels know that at least some of rockets had found targets.

Taking advantage of the improvised smokescreen now clouding the roadway, the rebels on the street sprinted toward the enemy's position, seeking out cover before the soldiers could see them. The Combine weren't waiting until they could clearly see enemy targets, however. The three remaining pulse turrets opened fire, the operators scanning the emplacements back and forth in a one hundred eighty degree arc. Though they were practically blind firing the weapons, more than a few Resistance members were killed by the barrage, pained cries erupting from their throats as clusters of pulse fire shredded through their light armour.

Gordon gritted his teeth at the sight of friendly combatants falling, their forms dead before they had even hit the ground. The kindling flames of anger responded to the sight, growing larger and hotter. Flashes of memories from two decades past provided a much needed fuel to the raging inferno, kept it blazing. Unslinging the container from around his back, the veteran viciously unscrewed the lid on the first tube, shoving the stored rocket into the launcher while he stood up from cover. The smoke had cleared enough that he could spot one of the three remaining gunners. A pull of the trigger, an explosion later, and the soldier ceased to be a problem.

More rockets followed Gordon's lead, the launcher equipped Resistance members targeting the two remaining turret operators and the Overwatch garrison still present on the wall. Turret fire finally ceased as four discharging explosives found their marks. Combine soldiers on the blockade's towering platforms fought harder in response, sending both grenades and energy balls into the street. Mitchell's group scattered under the assault, breaking formation in an attempt to avoid the storm of enemy fire heading their way. One rebel wasn't so evasive, an energy ball running through her before she could successfully roll out of the way. The woman's body vaporized in the blink of an eye, only the white hot remnant of clustered molecules testifying to where she'd been crouching, before they too, vanished.

Though Gordon was feeling a whirlwind of rage within him, the other rebels were feeling similar traces of anger, Mitchell among them. His vengeful cries for his group to advance were acted upon with brutal aggression as they continued moving forward. Every casualty taken only strengthened their desire to reach the platforms and smash through enemy lines.

"Push to the front!" Mitchell yelled after firing off a series of bursts from his MP-7A, taking cover only long enough to change magazines before firing again, targeting the Overwatch forces on the wall.

Despite the advantages granted to the trans-humans by height and readily available cover, they were aware of the strong possibility of the rebels emerging victorious. A call had already been sent out for heavy support but they knew it wouldn't be enough. Their cybernetic minds were already calculating the probabilities of success for their current plan of attack while simultaneously devising alternative attack strategies. It took less than four seconds for the Overwatch to realize that they would need to reclaim turret positions if they were going to rout their foes.

"Unit One-Three, standby to reclaim forward fire control positions Alpha One and Two."

Several seconds passed before the assigned squad's commander reported in. "One-Three acknowledges, awaiting signal."

A large gateway in-between two of the centre platforms slid open at the end of the squad's acknowledgement, the seemingly heavy slab of metal splitting along the middle and folding in on itself. A squad of Overwatch emerged from the opening, firing as they ran toward the closest turret locations. Gordon realized their intent almost immediately, but his attention was drawn more to the open gate. He knew that if he could get there before it closed, he could deal with the entire garrison in one stroke. The realization made him swiftly load the last rocket into his launcher before making a charge of his own.

Firing a pistol while maintaining a steady grasp on the RPG still mounted on his right shoulder was one of the harder tasks the former scientist had been forced to undertake in a combat zone. Even with hindered movements, however, Gordon was able to kill two of the soldiers at street level, 9mm rounds having torn through the protective layering of their helmets. The trans-humans stopped their advance once they assessed the priority threat to their squad, their pulse fire turning Gordon's charge into a series of evasive manoeuvres as he switched to a zig-zagging pattern of movement.

Mitchell noticed Doctor Freeman's struggle and opted to give him a helping hand. He pointed to two of the closest rebels, shouting to be heard over the deafening crack of pulse fire and explosions. "Both of you, with me!" The group leader broke from cover, rampantly firing from his SMG as he started an advance. "Forward!"

The yell was taken up by all of those able to hear it, battle cries of their own being thrown into the mix.

"Trans-human abominations!"

"Get 'em! Take 'em all down!"

Three more of the squad's soldiers were killed in the initial exchange of fire, giving Gordon the opportunity to pummel his way through the two remaining Combine infantryman and slip through the blockade gateway just seconds before it sealed. His infiltration had not gone unnoticed, however. Overwatch forces on the platforms were targeting him the moment he crossed the threshold, many of them switching their attention away from the still advancing rebels to deal with, what their cybernetic minds considered to be, the greater threat. It was a decision based on calculation and probability, a completely mathematical response that did not account for all the variables in the equation of battle. For though Gordon was the bigger immediate threat, the rebels proved to be just as much of a menace.

A combined assault of rocket impacts and small arms fire from Mitchell's group took out more soldiers, their armoured forms falling from the platforms with electronically modified screams erupting from their throats. The supporting fire proved to be all the distraction Gordon needed to aim his launcher at the largest cluster of Combine troops and fire off his last rocket. He watched in satisfaction as the RPG's payload claimed a fifth of the platform's garrison, leaving them either blown apart, engulfed in flames, or thrown to their deaths by the force of the blast.

Ditching the now spent launcher, the former scientist withdrew both his USP Match and crowbar from their respective holsters. A ramp on the far left connected the platforms with the street and it was something Gordon took to immediately, charging directly into enemy lines while he rapidly depressed the trigger on his sidearm. He targeted the soldiers closest to him first, panning out from there until the magazine was empty. Unwilling to attempt a reload, Gordon merely holstered the pistol and started swinging with his crowbar.

Rampant pulse fire targeted Gordon as he continued his brutal advance, bringing his crowbar against the trans-humans with such force that each blow sent the soldiers tumbling off the platforms. Each burst of fire against the hardened HEV plating was enough to make Gordon stagger slightly, only to continue fighting that much harder. Overwatch forces started backing away from the HEV clad man, moving back as far as the platforms would possibly allow. Such an action only led to the Combine moving away from the available cover on the wall, leaving them exposed to fire from below.

Mitchell capitalized on his enemy's mistake, ordering the eight left in his group to focus fire on the rear units. Discharging 4.6mm rounds and pulse capsules answered the call, the wide spread fire served to keep the Combine's numbers thinned. With Gordon continuing his relentless advance, the Combine were slowly herded into Resistance fire. More and more of the garrison were killed until, finally, the last trans-human fell to a crowbar inflicted strike, his limp form falling at Gordon's feet.

Taking a minute to both catch his breath and make sure that the area was indeed secure, Gordon walked down the platforms. A control box near the gateway grabbed his attention, a quick tap on one of the buttons was sufficient to send the entryway opening once more. Mitchell and a few other rebels cautiously approached once it was fully open, though they all visibly relaxed once they identified who was on the other side.

The group leader turned to face his cohort with a smile, "This is ours now!"

Wild cheers erupted at the statement, a noise so loud it seemed to shake the ground.

The ghost of another sound could be heard in the background, but it was loud enough to catch Gordon's attention, his eyes snapping toward the road beyond the roadblock. The MIT graduate was close to dismissing the noise when it sounded again, this time loud enough for another Resistance member to notice as well. Unlike Gordon, who was still trying to place the distantly familiar noise, the other's eyes grew wide in fearful recognition.

"Anybody else hear that?"

The distressed shout was loud enough for the rest to quiet down as they strained their ears to listen for whatever their comrade was talking about. A whale-like moan could clearly be heard this time, the sound loud enough that it seemed to echo throughout the area. Towering monstrosities came into view seconds later, their behemoth forms as large as a four story house. Long, spindly legs gave way to a small, rounded carapace, one that looked to be bristling with armament. Their entire bodies were covered in armour plating, adding an extra weight that only added to the sharp pounding noise that seemed to echo throughout the area with every step the creatures took.

Gordon barely had time to wonder what the things were before a warning shout from a rebel provided an answer as the man pointed toward the gargantuan life forms. "STRIDERS!"

Fear and shock were the only expressions on the majority of the group's faces, before they shook themselves out of their stupor with Mitchell's frantic orders. "Head for cover!"

Gordon stopped them, however, taking a loaded launcher away from a rebel's near death grip and turning to face Mitchell, "Your rocket carrier, now."

Though the Resistance member did as commanded, he was more than a little confused on what the man was planning.

"Keep everyone back," Gordon spoke as he strapped the new container around his back, "I'll take care of this."

"Are you insane? There's _three_ _Striders_ out there!"

Gordon didn't bother to listen to the group leader's objections, he only sprinted toward the monstrous creatures, ignoring further shouted warnings. The Striders noticed his presence the moment he cleared the gateway, their sudden, challenging wails putting Gordon on edge. His instincts screamed at him to evade and he complied without hesitation, switching to a widely spaced zig-zagging pattern of movement. Heavy pulse fire erupted from the turret of the closest Strider, the capsules impacting into the pavement where Gordon had been just seconds prior.

A discontented roar escaped the creature at its own failure before it fired again, sending Gordon wildly dodging as bursts of three to five capsules were fired at him every second. Scores of abandoned cars littered the road beyond the blockade, a fact the Resonance Cascade survivor had never appreciated more as sprinted toward the nearest vehicle. He crouched as low as he possibly could the minute he was pressed against a car's metal frame, waiting for the Strider's latest barrage to cease before taking aim with his RPG.

Although Gordon had only seen the towering life forms twice before, he had studied them intently each time; the first had been out of a more distant sense of fascination, while the second had been in search of a weakness he could exploit. He believed he had found such a vulnerability at the point where the creature's armoured legs attached to its carapace. The very tips of the joints themselves were not armoured, nor was the underside of the carapace.

It was this knowledge that Gordon put to use as he took aim at the closest Strider, making sure the laser was pointed exactly where it was needed before squeezing the trigger. The rocket was already zeroing in on its intended point of aim when the very creature Gordon was targeting let loose another volley of pulse fire. The sensation of projectiles impacting against his HEV suit was nothing new to him, but the sheer size of the Strider's heavy pulse capsule payload was beyond anything he'd ever felt before and it seemed to put the design specifications of the suit's armour plating to the limit. For the first time since Nova Prospekt, the former scientist felt as though he'd actually been shot while wearing his HEV suit.

Searing, white hot pain pulsed through his torso at the points of impact, putting his pain tolerance to the test in a way he'd never have believed possible. It was all he could do to hold the launcher steady and maintain his point of aim. His efforts were rewarded with the rocket detonating at the connective point of the Strider's left front leg. A sharp wail of distress was issued from the behemoth as it tried to maintain its footing, a task that seemed impossible, if the smoke emanating from the creature's limb was any indication.

It made a valiant effort to try to lessen the weight on its injured leg and still remain upright, but it wasn't enough. The afflicted limb gave out seconds later, sending the towering monstrosity collapsing to the street, still alive but no longer a threat. Gordon returned to his position of cover immediately after, removing the rocket carrier from his back to reload the RPG. The remaining two Striders let loose enraged roars at their fallen comrade, their heavy pulse turrets swerving to target Gordon's position. He willed himself to crouch closer to the ground as heavy pulse capsules riddled the metal shell surrounding him.

More than a few capsules riddled through the car's framework, however, impacting against the HEV suit's armour plating. The veteran gritted his teeth at the feeling of a projectile grazing his exposed neck, an investigating gloved hand coming away slick with crimson liquid. The moment the Striders ceased firing, he stood up from cover, took aim with his RPG at the closest behemoth, and fired off another rocket. Just before the explosive found its mark, though, the towering creature bended its spindly legs and brought itself into a crouch, leaving the rocket to sail directly over its carapace.

Cursing his turn of luck, Gordon guided the rocket back overhead for another attempt, wary of the target's challenging wail as its pulse turret locked onto his location once more. Incoming fire forced the MIT graduate to drop to the deck, though he wasn't fast enough to avoid a cluster of shots tearing through his right arm. The RPG he had been attempting to keep into a stable, upright position, swerved to the side, the force of the impact sending his limb reeling. He corrected the mistake the moment he noticed, narrowly avoiding sending the guided explosive into a nearby building.

With the Strider still crouched, Gordon had no way of firing at its vulnerable underside without getting closer, something he knew would be impossible without being torn to shreds, HEV suit or not. His eyes settled on the creature in front of him, searching for another weak spot he might have overlooked. He willed himself to think fast, knowing that the rocket's propellant could only last for so long. The sight of, what looked like exposed muscle tissue, halfway down each of its three legs appeared to be the very vulnerability Gordon was looking for.

He quickly redirected the rocket toward the small gap in the creature's armour plating, keeping himself as rigid as possible to stay on target. The explosive collided with its intended mark seconds later, the blast strong enough to bisect the Strider's limb. The act was completely unexpected for the creature, leaving it to start careening on its side before it's cybernetic mind could even process what had happened. By the time it did, the Strider could only wail in agony as it dropped to the street with a thunderous crash.

The sole remaining synth howled for its fallen brethren, bringing its full attention to Gordon. The Resonance Cascade survivor ducked in anticipation of more pulse fire while he loaded his last rocket. Instead of the sound of discharging pulse capsules, however, he heard something else entirely. Only able to connect the noise to that of a charging cycle, Gordon risked a glance at the Strider, finding that the air around the large cannon mounted on its underbelly was distorted. A blue light appeared at tip of the barrel soon after, growing larger and brighter with every passing second.

Unwilling to get a first hand account about the destructive capabilities of the heavy weapon, Gordon sprinted away from cover, heading for an alleyway between two three story buildings on his right. A thin, blue laser emerged from the cannon, a growl emitting from the wielding behemoth as it turned to track its fleeing prey. A bright pulse travelled across the laser guide as though it were a conduit, striking its intended point of aim in mere milliseconds.

Even with the HEV suit empowering his run, Gordon was unable to get to complete safety in time. Though he cleared the blast radius, the resulting shockwave sent him flying through the air, leaving his armoured form to smash into the brick foundation of the very building he'd been moving to. Gordon collapsed to the ground seconds later, the RPG he'd once had firmly secured in his grasp clattered to the pavement some distance away from his still form.

Pounding spindly limbs could be heard moving toward his location, a noise reminiscent of satisfaction emitting from the Strider as it gazed at the unmoving form of its target. Blackness crept along the sides of Gordon's vision, but he fought against it, refusing to succumb to the darkness. He tried to move, telling himself to ignore the pain in his body and get back on his feet. Growling at his own weakness, he slowly started to rise, his strained muscles convulsing at further over-exertion.

"Bring it down!"

The shout was quickly followed by the sound of discharging projectiles and rockets as Mitchell and his group provided much needed support. A sharp growl escaped the Strider as rebel fire impacted against its armour plating. It swerved to target the Resistance members, answering their barrage in kind with bursts of pulse fire. Rebels were constantly on the move as they fired volley after volley of fire, the riflemen behaving as little more than distractions for the RPG equipped rebels.

Burst after burst of 4.6mm rounds were fired from Mitchell's MP-7A from his position at the front of his group. The last guided rocket to be fired struck the towering creature in the centre of its carapace, serving as nothing more than a glancing blow to the Strider. Mitchell fired another five round burst toward the creature's underbelly before pointing toward the RPG's intended aiming point. "Go for its legs! The legs! Watch out for the turret!"

The world seemed so out of focus to Gordon, his vision seemingly impaired even with his still intact glasses in front of his eyes. But though his sights were distorted by blurred images, Mitchell's words could be heard loud and clear. He realized that the rebels were engaging the very enemy he was supposed to have killed. Such a fact helped to rekindle the flame of anger Gordon had come to rely on, giving him the strength and focus to finally push himself up off the ground.

He could only manage to move to a kneeling position, but it was enough for him to scramble across the pavement to retrieve his fallen launcher. Shouldering the RPG, Gordon took aim on the exposed portion of the Strider's rear limb and squeezed the trigger. The rocket flew straight and true, without need for a laser sight, detonating against its intended mark and blowing the lower half of the Strider's leg in half. Crouched as it had been, the Strider had no chance at adapting to its sudden bipedal status before it joined its comrades on the street, collapsing with a mournful cry.

Cheers erupted from the rebels as the last of synths fell, though they subsided somewhat when their gazes fell over to the battered form of Doctor Freeman. Mitchell and another rebel ran over to the man and tried to help him stand but Gordon only waved them away. It took a few minutes before the former scientist was able to get back to his feet coming face to face with a grateful Mitchell.

"I just wanted to say thanks. I didn't think we'd get through at all, let alone with as many people as we did."

Feeling completely undeserving of the group leader's gratitude, Gordon could only nod at the Resistance member, pausing long enough to exchange his RPG for the pulse rifle of a fallen rebel before he continued pushing ahead.

"Doctor Freeman, wait! I can spare a few in my group to go with you if-"

"No!" The strong decline was something Mitchell clearly hadn't expected., for he visibly recoiled at Gordon's sharp tone. The interruption was brought on by a sudden pang of fear, something Gordon took a moment to force back down before continuing in a slightly mournful tone. "Trust me, they'll be better off staying with you."

With that said, Gordon continued his advance toward the Citadel, hoping he'd run into Barney soon.

()()

On the outside, the structure looked like the majority of apartment buildings in City Seventeen. The red brick walls were well worn, giving the appearance of a structure far older than it really was. The area around the building was dirty and unkempt, making it clear that the Combine had only cared for maintaining sanitary conditions and nothing more. To all outward appearances, it was just one of the many buildings Gordon had recently explored. Inside, however, the structure was packed with Combine affiliated equipment, with only the sparse collection of objects from former citizen residents left as a reminder to who had been in control first.

He'd covered a lot of ground in the hour since he had separated from Mitchell and his group, clearing Overwatch forces from buildings and removing the odd patrols of Civil Protection from the streets. Since he had no idea how close Barney was to the Citadel, Gordon had been forced to deviate from the main route to the Combine command centre multiple times in order to try to locate his old friend. Other than Overwatch garrisons, however, Gordon hadn't found anything. He hadn't picked up as much as a trace of the Resistance, not even dead bodies were present within the precinct he moved through.

The old apartment building he was currently navigating through turned out to be packed with trans-humans. Pulse fire proved an adequate counter to 4.6mm rounds and double-ought buckshot as Gordon began combing through every room in the building, systematically slaughtering anything that moved, stopping only to gather more ammo or reload. It didn't take long before his rampage brought him to the top floor of the building, the third level. The Combine garrison had long since been alerted to his presence, so it wasn't a surprise for them to already be lying in wait.

Gunfire erupted into the main hallway the moment Gordon stepped in, Four Combine soldiers kept up a steady barrage from their positions at the far end of the corridor, crouching beside open doorways to avoid the retaliatory shots sent their way. The veteran didn't hesitate to charge their position, his shouldered rifle discharging burst after burst of pulse capsules into enemy ranks. Precise shots riddled through the helmets of three of the soldiers, while the last scrambled for refuge inside the closest room.

Wanting to kill the last trans-human before he had time to recover, Gordon sprinted after his target. He regretted it the minute he passed through the doorway, for the soldier was lying in wait. A point blank issued blast of buckshot sent Gordon reeling back into the hallway. The HEV suit's armour plating was more than able to absorb the projectiles, but the sheer force behind the attack still sent Gordon's body twisting to follow the buckshot's intended trajectory.

Another blast followed seconds later, striking Gordon in the chest to send him staggering even further back, into the room opposite his trans-human attacker. He managed to maintain his footing and, through sheer will. keep his right hand gripped on his rifle. Snarling at his turn of fortune, Gordon started to bring his own weapon to bare down on his attacker. The soldier noticed the movement, however, and responded by firing both barrels of his SPAS-12.

The crushing force of the impact sent Gordon flying backwards, his pulse rifle finally falling out of his grasp as he was propelled several metres back. Rather than plough across the room's floor as expected, Gordon found himself tearing straight through the wood and plunging toward the second level. His velocity increased dramatically during his descent, getting to the point that, by the time he made contact, not even the second floor's structurally sound framework could put a halt to his armoured form.

Gordon collided on the ground level with a heavy thud, the armour plating of his suit had absorbed enough of the damage that only a light jarring motion could be felt in his body, but it was enough to make his hazy vision that much more unfocused. There was enough clarity remaining, however, for him to decipher the form of his attacker gazing down at him through the two small holes his descending body had forged. The trans-human appeared as little more than a vague outline, but Gordon could tell that he was bringing his shotgun to bear. Reaching for his still holstered pistol, the former scientist fired at the soldier until the combatant collapsed to the ground, an electronically modified scream being his only confirmation of a kill.

Holstering his sidearm, Gordon tried to rise to his feet, barely able to move to a sitting position before slumping back to the floor, a grimace passing through clenched teeth at the sharp twinge of pain in his back. If his HEV suit hadn't informed him differently, the MIT graduate would be concerned that the fall had damaged his spine in someway.

"Gordon?"

The Resonance Cascade survivor tensed the moment he heard his name called, combat instincts kicked in as his left hand snapped back to his USP Match. He forcibly removed his fingers from the pistol grip seconds later, when he remembered that all of the soldiers in the building had been killed- not to mention that they never addressed him by name. Canting his head in the direction of the voice, Gordon found himself staring at an all too familiar face. He tried to get up to properly greet the newcomer, but another stab of pain brought a pause to his movement.

A slender hand firmly pressing against the chest plate of his suit brought him back to a prone position before he could continue. The concerned face of Alyx Vance hovered over his own while she started checking him for injuries. Perplexed at finding none, she turned back to face him with a look of frustration. "Didn't someone tell me they were going to at least _try_ to be careful?"

"Not my fault." Gordon replied, pointing at the holes above his head while he narrowed his eyes at the fresh memory of how easily he had been ambushed by a trans-human.

Alyx followed his indicating finger, her eyes widening at the realization that Gordon had somehow fallen from the top floor of the apartment building. The moment she remembered the implications a fall from such a height could have, she snapped her head back to face Gordon, only to see that he was now standing beside her. An audible sigh of relief escaped her at the sight, clearly he didn't have any spinal problems.

"You're a hard person to find," Alyx said with a slight smile as she rose to her feet, "I've been looking for you for awhile."

_All you had to do was follow the dead bodies_, Gordon thought, a twinge of cruel amusement in his mind as he pictured the scores of trans-humans he'd slaughtered laid out along the streets like a trail of bread crumbs. The emotion quickly faded when he realized that there would be Resistance members littering such a trail as well.

"I moved Doctor Kliener to a safer location," Alyx continued when she realized her companion wasn't going to offer a comment, "Now we can link up with Barney. I've been looking for information on generator locations, to see if we can disrupt them. They supply power to their local assets and defence systems," She elaborated when she caught sight of his puzzled expression. "Taking them out will helps us clear a path to Barney."

"I heard a rumour that this was the forward operations base for Overwatch forces in the area, so I came expecting to fight my way to a command centre. Although," Alyx said as she glanced at the strewn about corpses of Overwatch troops, "It looks like you already took care of that first problem."

Gordon barely took notice of Alyx's slightly amused expression as she gazed at the carnage around them, he was still focusing on the fact that she had navigated her way through a strictly Combine controlled precinct. "You were moving around this area alone?"

Eyebrows knotting in confusion at the man's serious tone, Alyx only nodded.

"Are you insane? This entire area is festering with Overwatch, you don't just casually stroll around enemy territory, that's how you get yourself killed!"

She had been taken aback at his first sentence, but her shock had faded the moment his hypocritical words sank in. It was her turn to get angry. "You're one to talk Gordon! Ignoring hazards around you, always throwing yourself into enemy lines; _all you do_ is 'casually stroll around enemy territory!' I'm not a child Gordon, I can take care of myself just fine."

The veteran's thoughts stopped cold the moment he registered her last statement. He had been ready to dispute her arguments with retorts of his own, but now his mind only swam with the implications of what she was saying. _A child_, the words seemed to echo in his head. Alyx had only been five years old at the start of the Resonance Cascade. _Did she bare witness to the same horrors as me?_ Gordon thought with a shudder, not even willing to imagine what the effects would be on a person so young. The thought of her seeing all the terrifying creatures to come from Xen, of smelling the putrid scent that had seemed to linger into every crevice of the facility after the failed experiment- the mixture of smoke and charred flesh- was too much to consider.

_Did she see her mother die?_ The question sprang along his thought pattern seconds later, bringing a cold shiver down his spine. The thought of her having to experience life without Azian was bad enough, but to have actually witnessed the woman's death would be more than most could hope to bear.

If the speculations weren't bad enough, he _knew_ that Alyx had been forced to grow up under the Combine's dominion, had been forced to endure years of hardship and suffering, and all because of a certain science team at Black Mesa.

"Gordon?" Alyx spoke with a quiet tone, hiding her confusion behind slight concern as she gazed at him with a softened expression. She had been fully expecting him to fire back another lecturing statement, and was taken by complete surprise when he didn't, his features morphing to a troubled look as he appeared deep in thought. She wasn't eager to return to the dispute by any means, but the sight of him suddenly appearing so distressed almost made her yearn for their verbal spat.

He gazed up at her the moment he heard her say his name, a haunted look now reflected in his forest green irises, one of such magnitude that she could scarcely imagine what it would take to cause it. "I'm sorry Alyx."

She stared at him for a long time, hardly believing that he was conceding so quickly. A slow nod was her only acknowledgement at first, her tone one of quiet assurance when she found her voice. "It's...okay Gordon."

But, as Gordon led her to the formerly Combine controlled command centre on the second level and she started hacking into enemy systems, she couldn't shake the feeling that he was referring to something entirely different from what they had been arguing about. Alyx didn't press the matter though, the former scientist's expression had changed the moment she had spoken, the haunting look in his eyes receding as an impassive look replaced it. The only thing that prevented her from labelling him as apathetic was the fierce anger burning in his irises.

The sheer strength of the rage reflected in his eyes unnerved her greatly, despite the fact that she knew it wasn't directed at her. She also knew, for that matter, that it wasn't directed at the Combine either- despite the fact that he was glancing at the trans-human corpses around them-, for he hadn't displayed any such anger during their first meeting or at Nova Prospekt. Then again, Alyx was aware that Gordon was immersed in apathy during those time so, perhaps, it was the Combine after all.

Unbeknownst to the young Vance, the One Free Man's rage stemmed from far more than a single source. It was part of the reason why it was so strong. He was angry with himself, his failures, his weakness, things that had been plaguing him even in apathy. But most of all, Gordon was angry with his inability to deal with the torrent of emotions swirling through his mind. It was a simple thing for most but, for Gordon, he couldn't even begin to face the sensations that felt so foreign to him. Apathy hadn't been apart of him for very long, but it had left its mark. He almost yearned for his stoic outlook on everything, the ability for him to keep haunting memories and feelings locked away.

Gordon originally thought it would be impossible to maintain his focus on the present after his apathy had been stripped from him, especially during combat. It hadn't taken him long to realize that his rage was almost as effective at blocking out unwanted feelings and memories. In a way he liked to think of it as better than apathy. For, not only did it help him quiet his mind, but it also provided him with a source of strength he could tap into, something he had been using for a while to push himself even further than the HEV suit alone could accomplish.

At the moment, Gordon was beyond tired- the only sleep he had gotten had been short power naps during his trek to Nova Prospekt, ones just long enough to allow him to keep moving. His ravenous hunger was matched only by an insatiable thirst, both of which had only been temporarily sated at Black Mesa East. By all rights, he shouldn't even have been conscious.

Just like everything in the Resonance Cascade survivor's life, however, there was a catch. There were times when other emotions, such as fear and guilt, would be too strong for his anger alone to contain. But though his rage couldn't hold them back, it still seemed to have influence over them, corrupting them, and turning his emotionally induced statements into unwanted outbursts.

"Hey, you there?"

Pushing away his errant thoughts, Gordon turned to face a questioning Alyx, her expression one of veiled concern. "What?"

"I was just saying that I found one of the generators." Alyx said with a slight frown, suddenly seeming to scrutinize him carefully. "Its in a small plaza about fifty metres away from here."

Inclining his head in acknowledgement, Gordon paused to scoop up a discarded MP-7A off the floor and a few magazines from a soldier's TAC-vest. A dull clack resounded in the room as he loaded up a fresh clip and cocked the weapon. "Okay," He said as moved in front of Alyx to show that he would take point, "Let's go."

It took five minutes to move to their destination, their journey surprisingly unhindered despite the fact that they were moving deeper into Combine territory. Emerging from a narrow side-street, the pair found themselves next to a triangular designed plaza, one with main streets branching out to the centre, left, and right. Access to the centre was blocked by a large, metallic gateway while the side exits were sealed with security screens.

Combine affiliated equipment was placed in the middle of the plaza, clustered within a small metallic shelter. A squad of Overwatch spotted them at their approach, a quick up and down motion of the commander's left arm was all it took to send enemy fire hurling downrange. Gordon ran forward the moment he could hear gunfire, firing from his MP-7A while he drew fire away from Alyx.

Discharging 4.6mm rounds tore through Overwatch ranks with deadly precision, killing the squad leader and two other trans-humans before the rest scrambled for cover. Such protection, however, wasn't readily available within the open space, leaving Combine troops to risk heading into the line of fire to seek shelter. Combined fire from Alyx and Gordon made sure that the majority of the trans-humans never reached such haven.

The Resistance duo began an advance of their own, precise rounds striking soldier after soldier until only one remained. A desperate burst of pulse capsules was fired their way, but the soldier sought cover immediately after, the sound of a radio activating spurred both Alyx and Gordon into a sprint as they rushed to intercept their last quarry.

"Overwatch requesting reserve activation at generator site Alpha Two-One! We have no contai-"

A three round burst tore through the Combine infantryman's helmet, putting an abrupt halt to his radio transmission. Holstering her pistol, Alyx sprinted over to the plaza's control station, her fingers dancing across the interface. "I can lower the generator's shields to expose the core," She spoke once Gordon approached her, "Then you can disable it with a burst from the gravity gun. This will take a minute or so."

Gordon nodded, she didn't need to say anymore. Both of them knew that reinforcements would be arriving soon. "I'll cover you."

Moving away from the control station, Gordon retrieved a pulse rifle from one of the slain combatants, slinging his SMG in favour of the rifle's longer range. Three grenades were looted from TAC-vests, along with a half-dozen extra clips for the Overwatch standard issue pulse rifle. Low walls of concrete had been constructed in a four corner design around the Combine affiliated equipment, giving Gordon a place to hunker down as he waited for an impending attack.

"Unit Twelve-Three reporting in at designated location, scanning for hostiles."

Gordon could hear the approaching Overwatch long before he saw them, though he could tell from the direction of the modulated voices that the squad was moving in on his left. Scanning eyes picked up the distinctive shape of armoured forms seconds later, as a group of eight poured in with weapons raised. Gordon slipped back behind cover the moment he sighted them, ducking away fast enough to remain unnoticed by the slowly advancing Overwatch.

Estimating the speed of their movements, Gordon kept himself as still as possible while he waited for them to get closer. He mentally counted down from twenty, acutely aware that the sound of shifting heavy gear had started growing louder. The moment he reached zero, Gordon stood up from cover, slammed his pulse rifle down on the top of the concrete wall, and squeezed the trigger. Single shots, double-taps, and short bursts of fire ensured that the entire group was killed before they could do more than aim their weapons.

"Contacts confirmed, Anticitizen One sighted! All available units go active and move in, move in!"

The radio transmission was followed by the feeling of pulse capsules impacting against the back plating of his HEV suit, leaving a bewildered Gordon to turn about and face soldiers advancing in from the opposite side of the plaza. He was able to gun down two and injure a third before the rest sought cover among the piles of rubble littering the street. More Overwatch forces poured in from the left, forcing him to ignore those hiding on the right as he continually hurled pulse capsules downrange, alternating sides when he felt it necessary.

An entire company of soldiers seemed to be swarming Gordon's position. The sheer amount of enemy fire bearing down on him was putting the armour plating of his protective attire to the test. He resorted to firing ten round bursts of pulse capsules at a time, desperately attempting to keep his attackers at bay. Enemies were continually falling mere metres away from his cover and he found his gaze briefly glancing toward the lone grenade still at his side. At this point, it was the last one he had remaining and the veteran was determined only to use it if it was absolutely required.

Switching his gaze back to those on his left, Gordon squeezed the trigger on his pulse rifle, hearing the sound of two discharges before a dull clack replaced it; he had just used up his last magazine. Dropping the rifle, he unslung the MP-7A from around his back and unleashed a storm of automatic fire. Enemy combatants fell before the onslaught, but there were simply too many for him to hold back. With each passing second they were closing in, making it obvious to Gordon that he was only buying Alyx time, something he hoped he wouldn't have to do for much longer.

As if hearing his thoughts, Alyx shouted out a progress report. "The core's shields are coming down! Almost there Gordon!"

The former scientist's distraction of trying to decipher what Alyx was saying had been just long enough for a trans-human to throw a grenade at him. The explosive rolled towards its intended target, blinking red light slowly flashing faster as the seconds ticked by. By the time Gordon took notice, it was pulsing rapidly. He barley had enough time to send the grenade skittering back towards Combine lines with the Gravity Gun before it exploded.

Well aware of the fact that he wouldn't have been able to escape the detonation unscathed, Gordon had turned around to face the opposite side, keeping his head- the only exposed part of his body- as low to the ground as he could while still aiming and firing his SMG. The lethal radius of the grenade's detonation had been escaped by a scant metre, but it was still close enough for the concussive force of the blast to send Gordon flying back a few metres. Gordon slowly hauled himself back to his feet, feeling a white hot pain in his right side and an intense ringing in his ears.

His vision was slightly hazy but he could still make out the forms of enemy combatants charging towards him. Bursts of 4.6mm rounds cut their advance short, a tactic Gordon repeated on the other side of the plaza before a frantically waving form in his peripheral vision caught his eye. He risked a glance in the direction of the shape, finding himself staring at Alyx. She seemed to be shouting at him, if the movement of her lips were any indication, but he couldn't make out a word she was saying.

Gordon strained his ears, trying to pick up the slightest sound. Gradually, he could hear the crack of automatic weapons fire, the frantic radio chatter of Overwatch forces, and the voice of Alyx Vance.

"The core is exposed Gordon, you've got to give it a jolt with the Gravity Gun!"

Even though all of the noises the veteran could hear sounded as though they were echoing across a great distance, he was still able to understand Alyx's statement. He sprinted back toward the young woman, firing as he moved until his last magazine had been spent. He threw the weapon aside, and brought the Gravity Gun around to his front. A shimmering orb, one eerily reminiscent of the energy balls he'd seen earlier, was the only object of interest within the column shaped containment cell that Alyx was pointing to. A blast from the Gravity Gun sent the orb skittering throughout the plaza, where it collided with a few pursuing soldiers, vaporizing them, before destabilizing.

A quick tap on one of the control station console's interface keys by Alyx and the gateway behind them opened. Gordon covered Alyx's retreat with his sole remaining weapon, a USP Match. He wasn't able to do anything more than eliminate a few trans-humans, but it bought enough time for Alyx to find the gateway controls on the other side.

"C'mon Gordon!"

Hearing her voice much easier now, even over the constant crack of gunfire, Gordon disengaged from the battle, sprinting away from pursuing Overwatch forces. Alyx closed the gate the moment he was on the other side, leaving Gordon to holster his sidearm the moment the metallic entryway sealed shut. He let out a breath in slight relief, turning to face Alyx. A frown worked its way onto her expression as she gazed at him. He took a step closer, trying to grab her attention. "You okay?"

The smallest of smiles was briefly flashed his way as Alyx nodded in response. She stepped closer and gently forced him into a sitting position against a building. "I don't think you can tell me the same though."

Leaning against the brick wall, a sharp pain in his side reminded him that he had been injured in a grenade blast. He glanced down to see a small, jagged piece of shrapnel protruding from near his stomach. Alyx knelt beside him while she dug through the pockets of her belt. Her movements seemed a little too frantic to Gordon while she muttered to herself, "I know I put in here somewhere..."

A small vial of an all too familiar green liquid was withdrawn before Gordon could even voice his protests at being healed. A short verbal warning was provided before Alyx yanked the metal fragment out of his flesh. A slight hiss escaped the Resonance Cascade survivor's lips as the bloody shard was ripped out of him and tossed away. A vial of green liquid was inserted in its place, the healing compound stimulating tissue and skin regeneration the moment it came in contact with the wound. He snarled at the sensation of flesh mending together, only a brief growl letting Alyx know that it was working. He rose back to his feet the moment the sensation stopped, nodding when Alyx asked if he was alright.

"Okay," Alyx spoke as she turned to walk ahead, "Barney should be on the other side of that...canal."

She stopped dead in her tracks when she came to the edge of a causeway, an empty concrete lined trench below the only indication that water had once flowed below. The wide bridge that should have granted access across had been blown to pieces, preventing the two from crossing the twenty metre gap. "Well, there _used_ to be a bridge here."

_Indeed_, Gordon thought, a trace of sadness working through him at her light tone, as though such destruction were commonplace.

Alyx decided to scout out an alternate route by scaling the side of a four-story building. She climbed up drainage pipes and shifted across window ledges until she was able to pull herself onto the roof, exchanging only a cursory glance to the canal below before pointing toward an area on the far left of the trench. "I see an opening down over there, we can head out that way."

Pulse fire erupted behind her the moment her sentence was over, sending Alyx whirling around to face her attackers, a cry of defiance escaping her as bursts of 9mm rounds were issued from her sidearm. Gordon moved as far back as he could to try to lend support fire, USP Match in hand while he scanned for targets. But he could only move so far before his back was pressed against the wall of the structure on the opposite side.

"Gordon!" Alyx shouted as she peeked over the side of the roof, "You've got to get out of here! Run!"

The sight of a Combine soldier slowly approaching Alyx from behind made him snap his weapon up. "Alyx, look out!"

She spun around to face her attacker, only to be knocked out cold as twelve pounds of metal impacted into the side of head. The attacking trans-human ducked before Gordon could fire, two of his squadmates moving to provide cover while he dragged the woman away. _No, no, no!_ Gordon frantically thought to himself as Alyx's crumpled form disappeared from sight.

He dealt with the two soldiers still foolish enough to remain in his sight, putting two precise shots into their skulls before anymore shots could be fired his way. Gordon kept his eyes on the roof, utterly helpless as events unfolded before him. He clung to the faint hope that Alyx would regain consciousness and fight off her captors, but the arrival of a dropship shattered such a feeling. Gordon watched as the synth left the rooftop seconds later, feeling a vicious fury exploding within him once he realized it was heading toward the Citadel.

"ALYX!"

The cry was a mixture of raw emotions, shouted so intensely it seemed to echo through the area, but, as loud as it was, it didn't travel far enough for anyone to hear it.

* * *

**Thanks to Nogoodnms, mellombror, Deremix, KRSONMar, Lfan8, ClarkesLaw, BlakDawn, and loyd2323 for their words of praise, advisement, and reminder to hurry my ass along in creating this chapter :D**

**At about 13,500 words, this is the second longest chapter I've ever written, edited enough times that I hope the length is a mirror image to quality. If its not well...I'm sure someone will let me know.**

**As promised Striders and RPGs were included in this chapter, along with a new twist to the Aniticitizen One segment. The meeting up with Alyx was something I felt that had to be changed. I always thought her sudden appearance in that chapter was completely random. The whole door exploding for no reason, Alyx materializing out of the shadows to say 'Hey guy, I always knew I'd find you in a zombie infested room caked with blood' didn't exactly strike me as doable. **

**Plus the description of the RPG needed to be done, its in-game model is nothing close to what a launcher looks like in real life. The _rear _is the section that's always cone shaped, in order to allocate for the weapon's backblast in a fixed arc. The way it looked before, Resistance members would need to turn away from their target to make a shot. Not exactly practical.**


	11. Unleashed

_**Chapter XI: Unleashed**_

[()]

_How much further?_

It was a thought that had been plaguing Gordon ever since he had witnessed Alyx's capture. His remaining distance to the Citadel was all that concerned him, despite the fact that the sound of weapons fire, explosions, and screams continued to echo in the streets of City Seventeen. Patrols of Striders tore structures apart, gunships and helicopters rained fire from the skies, and Combine squads dug in to hold established lines. But despite the best efforts of the trans-human combatants, the Resistance continued to press forward. The taste of freedom had driven them wild, none of them would stop until everything was theirs.

The struggle was nothing but an annoyance to Gordon at this point however. He combed through the chaos, charging straight through both friendly and enemy territory. He had chosen the most direct route to the Citadel, but had been forced to deviate numerous times since. Combat had reached an intensity in the metropolis; every Overwatch squad had been tasked with maintaining control of the streets leading to the Citadel, only to be engaged by waves of opposition, waves so strong it was driving them back.

Despite the efforts of the Resistance, however, few citizens had moved as far into Combine lines as Gordon. Enemy roadblocks were still very much intact in the street he was currently navigating through. Surveying eyes took in the sight of stationary APCs and turret emplacements positioned at the foot of a metal wall, a visible snarl escaped the veteran at another setback as he withdrew his probing gaze. There was a long alleyway nestled between the building he was currently using as cover and the one beside it. An investigating glance gave the impression that the passageway would connect to a neighbouring street, something Gordon hoped to be accurate as he took yet another detour.

The alley was dark, only sparse sections of the surrounding brick walls were bathed in yellow light, providing just enough illumination for him to move through. The straight away soon curved into a turn that Gordon was reluctant to follow, for it led him in the opposite direction of the Citadel- for quite a distance at that. With nowhere else to go however, he decided to keep moving forward.

The relative silence Gordon had begun to associate with his rapid progress through City Seventeen was shattered several minutes into his detour, the unmistakable sound of sniper fire, distant though it was, spoke of a pitched skirmish between rebels and Combine. Another shot resounded seconds later and the former scientist found his right hand moving to his only remaining ranged weapon, a USP Match. The large calibre pulse capsules used in the enemy sniper rifles were one of the few things capable of inflicting damage to his HEV suit. The knowledge alone was enough to put him on edge, even with the raw fury clouding his mind.

The sound continued growing louder with each step Gordon took, the distant echoes giving way to a sharper boom. The vague shape of a person crouched at the edge of the alley made a gloved hand grip the sidearm it had been hovering near. Gordon carefully proceeded forward, trying to decipher what faction the figure ahead belonged to. It didn't take long before Gordon could make out the distinct Lambda insignia painted on an improvised pauldron fitted to a right shoulder. He moved his hand away from his pistol at the discovery, deciding to abandon his stealthy approach and settling for continuing forward at a steady walk.

Armoured boots thudded against the concrete flooring of the alleyway, alerting the Resistance member to Gordon's arrival. The person spun around at the sound, SMG raised to a ready position. Cautious eyes took in the sight of an approaching armoured form, quickly shifting to recognition as the orange and black coloured plating of the HEV suit became visible.

"Doctor Freeman?" The Resistance member, a female, spoke in disbelief at Gordon's sudden appearance. "Your Barney's old friend aren't you? He said you were on the way."

_Barney_. The man's name brought a stab of guilt into Gordon's mind, vexing him with the reminder that he had forgotten about his friend in his rush to get to the Citadel. The sensation only lasted for couple of seconds before it vanished, cast into the pit of rage, to be used as fuel for the fire.

He turned to the woman to ask where Barney was, but she was already motioning him closer to an adjoining streets. "There," She pointed to a building isolated from the collection of structures lining the street, one that looked to have partially collapsed. "Barney took a squad in there twenty minutes ago, looking for a cache of grenades to deal with the snipers blocking our advance. He wanted the rest of us to keep the perimeter secure. When Barney didn't come back though, a few tried to go in after him." The woman trailed off, looking at the ground briefly before locking gazes with Gordon. "None of them even made it to the building."

Nodding at the explanation, Gordon took a step out into the street, leaning out of the alleyway's protective shadow to see if he could catch a glimpse of sweeping blue lasers. Scanning eyes showed no immediate evidence of snipers, but he knew he'd tracked the source of the high calibre pulse capsule discharges he'd heard earlier, and had no doubt the shooters were lying in ambush. With so many windows surrounding the street, it would be impossible to determine which ones were occupied without extensive observation, something he didn't have time for.

He sprinted out into the street without a second thought, ignoring the shouted protests of the Resistance woman as he darted across the street. The sound of his armoured boots crunching against the chunks of concrete littering the street came to a standstill the moment he sought cover by the brick wall of a building. A quick scan to his sides and front showed no sweeping blue lasers. Either he had avoided detection, or there were no shooters in the immediate vicinity.

Taking a look ahead, the MIT graduate marked out the quickest path to the structure Barney was holed up in. After taking a few seconds to ensure he hadn't been tagged, he sprinted out of cover, making sure to keep close to the buildings lined up to his right while he moved. A small junction in the roadway presented Gordon with a choice mid run, forcing him to put his fast acting mind to the test.

There were only two options: continue straight or veer right. The path to his right allowed him to get close to the building Barney was still hunkered in, possibly even inside, provided he could find a way in. The road leading to his front, however, appeared to curve to the other side of the same structure. On the right the road was narrower, with a heavy presence of rubble, giving Gordon distant feelings of both relief and caution. The relief stemmed from the large amount of debris lining the street, many of which were stacked so high with chunks of brick and concrete that there was a possibility he could use them as cover. However, the narrow confines of the passageway itself would make him a target of opportunity for enemy sharpshooters.

Fully believing in the possibility of dodging sniper fire no matter which way he went, Gordon opted to take the route he could accurately judge the strengths and weaknesses of, the right. He weaved through ideal locations of cover, scanning eyes alternating between keeping a look out for Combine activity and finding a way inside the structure Barney had taken refuge in. Unlike the top levels of the complex, which had suffered extensive structural damage, the lower portions were still intact, making it difficult to locate a point of entry.

His gaze eventually rested on a large doorway nestled in the side of the building, one that looked to provide the very entry point Gordon was searching for. With only fifteen metres of distance left to cover, and with no sign of enemy activity, Gordon opted for a final sprint. The moment he was close enough to see inside, he started scanning for any sign of Overwatch forces lying in wait. He was so fixated on the threat of soldiers laying an ambush inside that he didn't notice the sweeping arcs of blue lasers until they had come to a halt on his body. He forced himself to move faster the second he did, seeking shelter in the closest available cover, inside the very structure he was trying to reach.

The sharp crack of sniper fire erupted in the street just seconds before he reached his destination. An enlarged pulse capsule impacted directly into his right shoulder, sending his body twisting with the blow and making him stagger while he tried to maintain his footing. Another shot followed a half seconds behind the first, colliding directly with his sternum and propelling his already off-balanced form several metres backward. He hit the ground hard, suddenly finding it hard to breathe as the oxygen left his lungs from the vicious strike.

The former scientist wanted nothing more than to lie down and catch his breath, but the reappearance of lasers reminded him that he was far from being out of harms way. He shakily rose to his feet, attempting to throw off sweeping laser beams with weak zig-zags. More pulse capsules bombarded his position, missing his body by mere centimetres. Gordon could feel the heat wave from the projectiles as they passed, one of them dangerously close to his head.

He moved even faster, trying to ignore the fact that his body was unable to keep up with his rigorous demands. His chest was already heaving from the deep breaths he was taking, making him feel as though he needed to reinflate part of his lungs. The fact that he was moving faster put his oxygen intake at dangerously low levels, his struggled, shallow breaths weren't enough to keep him moving. Gordon was forced to slow down, an action he regretted when a pulse capsule struck him in the leg, causing the limb to give out under the impact and sending him hurtling face first into the pavement.

Enemy sharpshooters were already lining up for follow-up attacks, but Gordon didn't give them the chance. Unable to find the strength to rise back to his feet, he settled for scrambling his way to shelter, digging his hands into the cracked sections of the sidewalk to claw his way to safety. Gordon reached his goal seconds later, managing to move into the intended structure before Overwatch snipers could fire off anymore shots. He stopped moving the second he was confident that the immediate area was secure, settling for laying on the floor while he finally allowed himself to catch his breath.

Three minutes passed before his shallow breathing rate turned to one of nominal proportion, allowing him to rise to his feet and take in his surroundings. By all outward appearances, the lower levels of the structure had looked to be fairly intact. The interior, however, told a different story, it was in shambles. Sections of the ceiling in his immediate area had fallen apart, exposing the steel framework underneath and giving him ample view of the second floor. Overturned desks, tables, and chairs spoke of a pitched engagement, as did the numerous blood splotches adorning many sections of the concrete walls, ones so numerous they could be mistaken for the building's wallpaper.

A lack of any bodies, alive or otherwise, made it clear that something more had happened within the structure than a simple skirmish between Resistance members and Overwatch forces. It wasn't until he moved through the chaos of the first floor and descended into a basement flooded with water that Gordon was able to fully grasp what had taken place. He hadn't taken more than twenty steps before a zombie shot out from the water. The quick draw of a USP Match ensured that the monstrosity was dead before it had time to do anything more than emit inhuman growls, 9mm rounds having torn through the headcrab atop its mangled host.

"Is...anyone there?"

The voice sounded weak, a sound so low the Resonance Cascade survivor would have missed it if his senses weren't as alert as they were. He tracked the noise to a small section of the sublevel, a large rectangular area of space positioned higher than the surrounding area; a fact that kept both the wooden surface, and the rebel sprawled out in the corner, free from water.

"Hello?"

Gordon didn't bother responding, settling for slowly approaching with his sidearm now holstered. He took in the sight of dry, encrusted blood beneath the rebel's prone form and felt a knot beginning to form in his stomach.

"Doc...Doctor Freeman?"

Nodding in affirmation, he knelt down to assess the Resistance member's injuries. The man's arms were huddled around his midsection, the tension behind the action tight enough to make sections of his forearms turn white. Gordon could make out a small section of a deep incision, an injury he had seen enough times to know what caused it- the claws of a zombie. He could feel the knot in his stomach twist tighter in response to his discovery.

"Bar...Barney said...you'd come." The man spoke slowly, making a visible effort to say every word. "Last time we heard from him...he took a few others up to...to secure a cache of grenades...up on the second floor. A few of us stayed...at ground level...to fend off...the headcrabs." A brief, humourless chuckle escaped the man, turning into an even briefer coughing fit as he tightened his grip around his stomach. "We didn't do so well."

Withdrawing his USP Match, Gordon gave the man's shoulder a reassuring squeeze. There was were so many things he wanted to say to the rebel, sentence after sentence rushing to his mind, comforting words he could have spoken to help ease the man's sense of failure. But, despite the all the things he wanted to speak, he couldn't bring himself to say a word. The sound of laboured breaths brought Gordon out of his musings, the rebel's breathing was deteriorating, serving as a reminder that the man had already been suffering for an unknown amount of time. Gordon slowly pointed his pistol at the man's skull and fired off a shot.

The sound of the discharging 9mm round seemed impossibly loud within the basement, seeming to create a reverberation that travelled throughout the entire building. Gordon holstered his pistol, taking in the sight of the fresh crimson liquid pooling from the rebel's skull. If he ever wanted confirmation that he had done the right thing, however, Gordon received it as the Resistance member's iron grip around his midsection vanished. Organs that should have been hidden from the naked eye could be seen seeping from the gaping slash across his stomach. Only an improvised bandage of torn cloth and the man's strong grip around his middle had kept the majority of the organs inside his body.

Turning away from a sight he had seen far too many times, Gordon moved out of the basement and toward a staircase on the opposite side of the sublevel. He found himself glancing back toward the rebel's corpse, his eyes fixated on the fatal injury he'd inflicted. Only a distant sense of guilt accompanied the sight, the remorse he'd felt after deciding to kill the rebel had long since lost its intensity. The rage that had been quietly burning in the back of his mind seemed to grow stronger with its absence, as though it had been just another feeling used to feed the flames.

For the first time in his life, Gordon turned away from a friendly death he'd played a part in, with not even a mentally issued apology entering his mind as he continued on to the second floor. Zombie growls met his ascent to the second level, their idle movements ceasing once they spotted Gordon. The undead creatures started shuffling toward him, unintelligible groans emitting from their damaged forms as they all began converging on his location.

The veteran's grip had barely tightened around the pistol grip of his sidearm before an ear-shattering crack echoed around the building, a sound quickly accompanying the sight of a zombie flying across the room, its controlling headcrab shaken loose before the host body even impacted into the wall. More shots followed the first, each one striking another member of the horde. Gordon watched the slaughter unfold with a wary grip on his pistol, ready to snap the USP up in case the Combine missed one. They were efficient to the last though, only ceasing fire when all movement had come to a standstill within their scanning area.

Turning his gaze away from what was left of the zombies, Gordon wasn't surprised in the least to learn that more than a third of the wall to his left was no longer present. Large gaps now comprised the majority of an area that had once been constructed entirely out of concrete. Not only did the discovery bring up further doubts about the building's structural integrity, but it also served to remind Gordon that he wouldn't be able to get very far before enemy sharpshooters were able to track him. His gaze fell away from the wall as he tried to find something to use as a distraction, wandering eyes eventually resting on a small wooden box nestled on the far side of the room.

Unslinging the Gravity Gun from around his back, he pulled the box towards him. The container was nailed shut, but a quick use of the crowbar allowed Gordon to overcome such an obstacle. Inside, he found the answer to his sniper dilemma, eight grenades laid across a straw-like lining. He didn't know the sniper's exact location but he knew he'd have just over a second to figure it out. Pulling the pin on the grenade, he waited until he was next to the gap in the wall, and the explosive was within the Gravity Gun's grasp, before releasing his grip on the safety lever.

The MIT graduate was immediately besieged by a blue laser the moment he snapped out of cover, giving him enough time to track the emission to its source and fire off the grenade. The explosive found its target, a frameless window on the building across the street; detonating a split second after it had slipped inside. The unmistakable sound of an electronically modified scream served as confirmation of a kill.

Gordon repeated the same tactic on the other three snipers he was able to locate before he started looking for Barney. His search eventually led him to what was left of the third level; sparse sections of still intact flooring and ten centimetres worth of concrete wall. He combed through piles of debris to look for friend, though it was the last place he hoped to find the former security guard.

"Get down!"

The voice lacked the modulation associated with Combine soldiers, so Gordon reacted instantly, throwing himself to the floor just as a sniper shot sailed where his head had been a split second before. He turned to look for his saviour, finding himself staring at the very person he'd been searching for. Barney Calhoun smiled at him from his position next to the remnants of an interior wall, one with just enough concrete left intact to shield his crouched form from the blue laser now actively scanning the third floor.

"Gordon, nice of you to drop in."

A brief scowl was the only response Barney received for his witty remark, eliciting a chuckle that Gordon ignored as he crawled toward the far end of the room. He'd made it as far as the halfway point before being tagged, making his journey to the wall on the far side a short one. Peeking over to gaze at neighbouring buildings, he had less than two seconds before the sharpshooter zeroed in, but it was long enough for him to see where the trans-human was hiding. It took Gordon three tries at blind throwing a grenade before he was able to score a hit, and another two minutes of cautious surveillance before he considered it safe enough to stand up again.

Barney was already waiting for him by the staircase, pulse rifle in hand, and smile in place. "You took your time getting here, I was beginning to wonder if I would ever be able to make it out. I suppose I should of known better," He continued when it was apparent Gordon wasn't going to answer, "After all, you're quite the returning hero these days."

_Hero_. Gordon found his gaze resting on the Citadel at the word, his fist tightening as he realized that the colossal structure still seemed impossibly far away. Despite the distance he'd covered since Alyx had been captured, it wasn't enough. He didn't know precisely how much time had passed since she'd been taken, but it had been long enough to make him start doubting whether he could get there in time. _Hardly._

"Gordon?"

Realizing he'd been staring at the Citadel, letting his rage get the best of him. Gordon took a moment to compose himself, redirecting his anger away from his lack of progress and toward the Combine. He pushed his errant thoughts aside and turned back to meet the worried gaze of his friend. He brushed past the man before he could say anything further, descending the staircase to head out of the building. "Let's go."

Twenty minutes saw the pair move back out of the building, bypass Combine lockouts, and sift through debris ridden streets before they entered a new building. Clusters of side fitted windows on the second floor gave the two a view of a large plaza. While the square was surrounded by buildings on every side, the structure directly to the pair's front was what really drew their surveying eyes. Gordon took in the structure's features, a distant sense of amazement in his mind as he gazed at the largest building he'd every seen since coming to City Seventeen.

Wide, front steps gave way to an ionic column fitted entryway composing of four large doors. Its rectangular design featured an addendum of cylindrical based add-ons on the roof, creating a massive dome directly above the entrance in the centre. The sight of two gunships flying past reminded Gordon that Combine additions had been added to the area as well.

"I think that old building used to be a bank or a museum," Barney said, his tone almost longing as he looked at the structure. "Well, whatever the hell it used to be, now its just a nexus for Overwatch."

Gordon nodded at the information, taking in the heavy Combine activity. Soldiers patrolled the area outside the building, with other squads being deployed through gateways positioned at opposite ends of the main street that ran parallel to the plaza, one that lead to other areas of the city. Security screens kept key areas of the plaza sealed off from the street, as did the square's original layout of iron wrought fencing.

"Perimeter's tight."

Barney nodded at Gordon's gruffly stated analysis, "And it gets worse. There's some type of suppression device on the roof, it rains hell down on anyone who tries to approach. We'll have to shut it down and open the Combine's gateways if we want to clear a path to the Citadel. Of course, we'll have to do that from inside the Nexus."

Gordon took one last look around the plaza, nodding to his friend to lead the way once he was confident his initial survey hadn't missed anything of significance. The pair descended a nearby staircase, stopping only when they were near an open doorway at street level. The road beyond was intact for the most part, though a small crater in the street gave Gordon the impression that he and Barney weren't the first to mount an assault on the Nexus. The crater was only several metres away from the doorway, making it apparent that the suppression device would be tracking their movements fairly quickly.

The two friends spared a single glance at each other, both of them knowing that they had been thinking along the same lines and had come to the same conclusion; run hard and don't look back. A shared nod later and the two followed their own directive, sprinting along the street. They ignored the alarm klaxons that resounded within the plaza mere seconds after they had started running, paid no attention to the beams of pulsing beams of white light bombarding the street, and took no heed of the destruction left in their wake as entire surfaces of concrete and brick were reduced to piles of debris.

It wasn't until they had scaled the iron fencing, and were within metres of the main entrance, that the suppression device finally fell silent. Combine soldiers emerged from the entrance doors, firing off bursts of pulse capsules that Barney evaded through a series of rolls. Gordon, on the other hand, simply let the shots impact into his HEV suit while he drew his USP. Precise shots eliminated an entire section's worth of trans-humans before the rest sought cover behind the entrance's ionic columns. The lack of incoming projectiles gave Barney the opportunity to lend Gordon support. Pulse fire of the former security guard's own forced enemy combatants to stay behind cover, giving Gordon the chance to close in.

The former scientist showed his foes no mercy, sneaking up on his enemies just long enough to give himself the opportunity to perform brutal executions. The first trans-human Gordon encountered had his helmet slammed against the ionic column he was using as cover, the force behind the blow so intense that a follow up shot was not required. Two more were taken out with precise headshots from his wielded sidearm before he felt that melee combat was more apt. Another pair of soldiers were beaten into submission, crowbar inflicted strikes to the centre of mass too devastating for even their cybernetic forms to withstand.

Overwatch focused their efforts on the HEV clad man assaulting their left flank, determined to prevent further progress. Gordon's refusal to so much as seek cover, and Barney's sudden assault on the squad's centre, broke their unit cohesion just long enough for the two Resistance members to lay waste to the opposition. Once he was confident no more garrison units were lying in wait, Gordon retrieved a pulse rifle from a fallen trans-human and motioned for Barney to move up.

The two emerged into the Nexus, finding themselves in a large room, their eyes were immediately drawn to the wide staircase to their front, one which diverged once it met the far wall, allowing passage to the either side of the second floor. The tiled floors were covered with the tattered remnants of concrete and brick, creating a disturbingly loud crunch beneath Gordon and Barney's feet as they moved further in. The building's beige coloured walls were still intact, making Gordon wonder why there was so much debris in the room.

It wasn't until a loud rumbling shook the building that the veteran's query was answered. His eyes travelled to the roof where he was greeted with the sight of the same dome he had seen from across the plaza. His initial survey had led him to believe that the circular structure was still intact, but now it was clear that only half of it was still standing, the rest was non-existent. Through the large gap above, he was able to get a better view of the Citadel. The towering presence was still some distance away, but Gordon took comfort in the ability to distinguish finite details that he hadn't noticed before. _Maybe I'm not too far away after all._

The sight of a dropship flying just above the dome drew Gordon out of his musings. He ignored the debris falling loose from the dome in the dropship's wake, the desire for fast progress twice as strong at the realization that Overwatch was already dispatching reinforcements. A look to Barney and Gordon knew he was thinking the same thing, even before he spoke. "We don't have much time."

With that consensus, the two proceeded up to the staircase, opting to move into the left side of the second floor. A quick search showed that there was only one room of interest in their area. An array of consoles promised to provide a solution to the Combine security lockout, a solution Barney hoped to be within his grasp as he approached the central terminal, noticing Gordon keeping an eye on the doorway. Barney's skill with computers wasn't the best, but his former status in Civil Protection had given him limited clearance for Combine software. He typed in commands to deactivate the security lockout on the plaza, only to watch the display screen flicker a blaring red in response.

"Damn," Barney hissed after a series of repetitions yielded the same results. The call for disabling a lockout required a level of clearance he simply didn't possess. He gazed at the console in frustration, desperately trying to think of an alternative. Clearly, a simple disabling operation was out of the question but, it was possible there was another system he had clearance for. A quick check showed that there was, power regulation. Overwatch had tagged the system with a low probability of risk. "Big mistake," Barney muttered to himself with a smirk. The lack of encryption ensured that even his low clearance level cold provide access.

The console's display shifted as Barney continued punching in commands, showing the power allocation for the Combine's entire defence network. The energy was being siphoned from a series of generators within the Nexus itself. He had do doubt that Gordon and himself would be able to locate and sabotage the generators, but it would take time, the one thing the Resistance never had on its side. The former security guard stood their gazing at the console, scenario after scenario running through his head. Overload, the word rang in his mind with his last mentally devised strategy, slowly leading to the development of another that he was all too eager to put into practise.

Accessing power regulation, Barney simulated an energy output fluctuation in the first generator, one strong enough for the system to believe that the power source was on the verge of failure. The automatic systems compensated by diverting a surge of power from the second generator to the first. Under normal circumstances, the energy would be enough to jumpstart the generator's power systems, but all it did was overload the generator's power nodes, rendering it useless. Barney repeated the process with the second, then tasked the final active generator to power the Combine's entire defence network. The output required was too much for a single power system to handle and it wasn't long before, it too, overloaded.

Barney turned away from the control system, smiling once Gordon turned to regard him. "Mission accomplished Gordon, the generators have been disabled. That'll disable the suppression device and deactivate the security fields. Time to get the hell out of here!"

Gordon nodded, leading the way back to the staircase at a slow jog. The two were only a turn away from their goal when the sound of radio chatter forced them to halt. An investigating peek around the hallway corner led Gordon see an entire squad cautiously advancing toward their position. A shouted command and the sight of a trans-human pointing toward his exposed face was more than enough incentive for him to pull back, pulse fire filling the corridor mere miliseconds later.

"I take it we have company," Barney spoke with a light tone, a small smile on his face.

_Not for long_, Gordon's thought, though his only real response was to stare at his friend through narrowed eyes, suddenly hating Barney's laid back nature. He shook his head at the errant thought, redirecting his rage to where it belonged, though not before Barney's expression morphed to a frown. Gordon quickly slung his pulse rifle and held out his hands before his companion could say anything, placing his left overtop his right while he stared at his friend. Barney gazed at the gesture in confusion before his eyes widened in recognition, an issued nod displaying his understanding. Gordon held out three fingers, counting down from the indicated number himself before spinning out of cover in a crouch. He fired rampant bursts from his newly shouldered OSIPR, suppressing enemy fire long enough for Barney to move out of cover and fire above Gordon's head.

The execution was well timed, allowing the pair to cut enemy numbers in half in a matter of seconds before the rest scrambled for cover. Gordon and Barney continued firing regardless, targeting the places Combine soldiers were using as cover until their magazines had been depleted. Barney moved to reload his own weapon, while Gordon didn't. The sight of a single soldier moving out of cover drove Gordon insane with rage. _Why can't they all just die!_ The fury he had been containing since Alyx's capture exploded inside him, bringing with it, an insatiable blood lust that Gordon was determined to satisfy.

The Resonance Cascade survivor dropped his pulse rifle, withdrew his crowbar, and charged his foes. He descended upon the first soldier before a single shot could be fired, swinging the crowbar as he would a sword. The hooked end pierced through the soldier's helmet, cutting through flesh and bone in seconds, leaving his corpse to slump to the ground once Gordon removed the weapon from his skull. Two soldiers charged forward to avenge their comrade, only to be met with the savage strikes of Gordon Freeman.

A crowbar blow to the helmet sent the first reeling to the ground, the sheer force of the blow enough to leave the trans-human dead. The second attempted to swipe at Gordon's head with the butt of his pulse rifle, but the former scientist simply ducked under the extending weapon and used the hooked end of his crowbar to pull the soldier's left leg out from underneath him, sending him careening to the floor. Gordon didn't wait for the soldier to recover, bringing the weapon's straight edge back around to stab him through the spine.

Gordon was tackled against the corridor wall before he could reclaim his crowbar, left dazed for a split second by the unexpected assault. He moved in to punch his attacker, a Combine soldier in white coloured armour, only to have his right hand intercepted in the trans-human's grip. A punch with his left hand yielded the same result, leaving Gordon snarling at the soldier while he tried to overpower the combatant's grasp. The elite didn't give him the chance, slamming his helmeted head into Gordon's with enough force to send the MIT graduate's skull whipping back against the wall.

The pain only made him that much more enraged, an emotion he used to his advantage as he delivered an open palm strike to the soldier's chest, forcing him back far enough for Gordon to rain down a series of punches and jabs that drove the soldier even further back. The Overwatch combatant was only able to deliver a single uppercut in the exchange, an attack that only convinced Gordon to be more brutal. An HEV empowered kick to the soldier's stomach sent the squad leader stumbling back toward the staircase, a position Gordon quickly took advantage of as he charged his target. He dove at the elite once he was close enough, the velocity behind his charge strong enough to send the two flying down the stairway, crashing down at the midpoint.

The trans-human acted before Gordon could capitalize on his assault, pushing out with his legs to drive the Resistance member away from him. By the time Gordon recovered, the elite was already back on his feet. The trans-human struck out with a punch, only to have it caught in his target's respective hand as Gordon used his own technique against him. His attempt to force himself free resulted in both of his hands gripped by Gordon Freeman.

Gordon delivered a sharp kick to the trans-human's thigh, leaving him dazed long enough for Gordon to close the distance between them and slam the soldier's head against the concrete wall. The former scientist knew his target was still alive, even before he rose to his knees, and he was ready. He moved behind the soldier and gripped his helmet. With a single twist, Gordon sent the elite's head rotating far beyond its ninety degree limit, revelling in the sickening crack that seemed to echo within the building as the squad leader's corpse slumped to the floor.

The One Free Man stood victorious, deep breaths escaping his heaving form as he tried to suppress the rage still swirling through his system. It took him more than a few minutes to calm down long enough to retrieve his weapons, by which time Barney was already staring at him with a mixed combination of awe, concern, and fear. He ignored his friend's gaze, holstering his crowbar and gripping his newly reloaded pulse rifle while he moved down the staircase. "Let's get going."

Barney snapped himself out of his stupor at Gordon's words, warily following his companion down the stairs. "We should head to the roof Gordon, we're going to need to disrupt Overwatch's flow of reinforcements if we want to take control of the plaza."

The declaration had been made once Gordon had started moving back toward the entrance, making him pause halfway to his goal as he let his friend's words sink in. It didn't take long. An unspoken display of acknowledgement later and Gordon followed Barney down an adjoining hallway. A Combine designed lockout barred access to the staircase leading to the roof, an obstacle Barney overcame through use of a nearby console. He had barely terminated his interface and took a step away from the console before the security door slammed shut.

An investigation of the system let Barney know why. "Damn! Looks like Overwatch is actively sealing off roof access points." He paused for a moment, before turning to Gordon, "I think I can keep it open, but I'll need to stay logged in the system to do it."

The former scientist only nodded in response, he preferred working alone anyway.

After listening to his friend give his signature 'see you when I see you' farewell statement, Gordon only waited for the thick metal door to slide apart before ploughing ahead, leaving his friend behind with only a brief stare having testified to his acknowledgement.

There wasn't much of an enemy presence on the roof to begin with, to Gordon's surprise, only the remnants of the Nexus garrison banding together in an attempt to keep at least one area of the structure secure. Bursts of pulse fire from Gordon's captured OSIPR showed the soldiers how futile such attempts were and it wasn't long before the roof of the Nexus was under Resistance control.

Gordon let his gaze drift toward the battle raging below in the plaza once the last trans-human fell. He hadn't spared more than a passing glance when he had first stepped onto the roof- not willing to indulge in distractions inside enemy territory- but even then it had been evident that rebels had already taken to storming the square. Now that the Nexus was secure, Gordon allowed his eyes to linger on the sight.

Reinforcements for both factions battled it out in the street, each utilizing cover as both sides settled for an advance, and cover there was, a plenty. Sections of the buildings around the Nexus had been stripped away, creating piles of debris. A couple of Combine APCs littered the landscape, their chassis sought after by both Overwatch and rebels for the protection their battered frames could still offer. Entire sections of pavement were missing, small depressions created by the suppression device had been turned into gaping holes so large they could have been mistaken for sinkholes. Fire and smoke dotted the square, only adding to the hazards that needed to be avoided.

It was painfully obvious that the Combine were calling in everything at their disposal to hold the Nexus, just as it was obvious that the rebels were rapidly losing ground. Gordon knew it was only a matter of time before Striders arrived to eliminate the rest, and if that happened while the Resistance was out in the open, they'd all be slaughtered. New motivation coursing through him at the realization, Gordon quickly scampered down the building he'd tracked the Nexus garrison to, only stopping once he was in the street.

A loud wail reverberated across the plaza, signalling the arrival of the very creature Gordon had been dreading. The Strider appeared on the opposite side of the square, stepping over a Combine gateway to move into the battlefield. It cast only a cursory glance at the battle taking place between Overwatch forces and Resistance members before it let loose a series of angry growls, its pulse turret firing. Rebels that had been in the middle of the plaza suddenly found themselves in the middle of a bloodbath. With heavy pulse fire falling down around their heads, cover proved to be a fruitless endeavour.

Panicked yells erupted through Resistance lines, each rebel struggling to be heard above the cacophony of screams as more and more of their number fell to the menacing Strider hovering above their heads.

"We're getting torn apart!"

"Stay under cover! Don't move!"

"Everyone, fall back now! Fall back!"

The last, was the more strongly heeded command as rebels scrambled out of cover and sprinted back across the plaza toward the Nexus building. Overwatch forces gave pursuit, killing those that the Strider did not, leaving only a handful to reach their intended retreat point; the ionic columns near the structure's main entrance. The towering synth immediately switched targets, its warp cannon charging. Gordon watched the scene unfold with gritted teeth, unable to do anything more than watch, for he had no weapon at his disposal that could hope to kill the behemoth.

A rocket lanced across the plaza before the warp cannon could fire, impacting directly into the Strider's carapace. The creature's weapon fired as it stumbled in place, leaving the beam to cut a line of destruction through cement instead of vaporizing flesh. The synth whirled around to face the threat, a lone rebel standing on the roof of a building adjoining the Nexus. Another rocket was fired before it could do anything more than emit angry growls, growls that quickly changed to mournful cries once the attacking rebel scored a direct hit on its closest leg, bisecting the limb and leaving the Strider to crash to the ground.

The rebel had had to leave available cover on the roof to land the killing blow, leaving her defenceless to the avenging Overwatch forces below. Her body was riddled with pulse capsules before she could even smile at her accomplishment. Gordon barley took note of the rebel falling off the roof once she succumbed to her death throes, he was too busy firing at Combine soldiers as he ran to aid what was left of the Resistance assault force. They took note of his presence even before he sprinted to the centre of their formation. Voices, once on the thin line between hope and despair, suddenly sounded far more lively as they eagerly called out his name.

"Gordon Freeman!" They shouted in awe, as though the very words would be enough to drive away their enemies.

A cold glare from Gordon, and barrages of enemy fire, snapped the Resistance members out of their trance. They eagerly followed Gordon's example and returned the favour, intent on keeping the advancing trans-humans at bay. Overwatch forces were persistent, however, and simply continued pressing forward, despite the heavy casualties mounting in front of their eyes.

More Combine soldiers continued to pour into the plaza, convincing Gordon that precision was more important than rampant trigger depression. Enemies began to fall before the One Free Man from single shots to head, but still they kept up their advance, hardly even attempting to take cover.

_Timing is everything_. The thought ran through Gordon's mind in-between every shot, allowing him to ignore the rounds and capsules that continually riddled his HEV suit. Steadying his weapon through the storm of fire enveloping his armoured form was no easy task, but he kept it up regardless, beginning to believe that ammo conservation would be the key to winning the skirmish.

There was another factor in the equation that the MIT graduate had failed to account for, however, discipline. The seemingly infinite wave of Overwatch forces had little effect on him, but not all the rebels shared his outlook on battle.

"Ah man!" The rebel next to Gordon sounded on the verge of panic as Overwatch continued barrelling down on their position.

The others shared the man's apprehension, a distress clearly visible in their own expressions while they continued firing at advancing enemy forces, desperately trying to push back the swarm of trans-humans. Occasional glances were sent to Gordon, as though hoping the man would issue a retreat.

Most commanders would be shouting out encouragements at this point, but Gordon knew he couldn't. His anger had warped his declarations before, turning his intended statements into unwanted outbursts. Strong as his anger had been when he had first started moving through the city, it was now nothing compared to the vicious fury burning inside him. Any attempt at spoken encouragement now would only be corrupted, turned into a scathing display that would not help the rebels.

The order for a withdrawal never came, and the One Free Man only returned the citizens' pleading looks with one of his own, one of steadfast determination. He willed those who met his gaze to see his unshakeable determination to push Overwatch forces back and his incessant need to reach the Citadel.

_No retreat, no excuses_.

Rebels nodded once they laid eyes on Gordon, seeming to draw strength from his unbreakable persona, withered morale soared. But though their drive to fight was back in place, there was another problem.

"Damn!" A rebel shouted the moment a dull clack responded to his depression of the trigger on his MP-7A. He hit the mag release button on the side of his weapon, reaching for another clip on his TAC-vest, only to find that he had just used his last one. "Anybody have any more ammo? I'm out!"

A few negatives met his statement, many rebels were down to at least half a clip.

"Here," A voice cried out seconds later, a spare magazine thrown to the requestor from the other side of the line. "Its my last mag," The ammo distributor continued once it had been caught, "Make it count!"

Grimly nodding at the statement, The rebel pushed the clip into the magazine housing and cocked his weapon, firing the moment he was able. Short bursts of fire erupted from the Resistance line, each striking another advancing squad of Overwatch forces. Double-taps replaced it soon after, the need for precision overpowering the desire for mass slaughter once they remembered the shortage of ammunition. Despite their accuracy, Combine soldiers continued to press forward, and it wasn't long before every rebel was left with no ammo.

Gordon Freeman became their last line of defence, issued blasts from his pistol turning into hurled chunks of concrete from the Gravity Gun once his own supply of ammunition was depleted. Overwatch forces continued their advance, each one of the trans-humans focusing their fire on the only person preventing their claim to victory in the skirmish. The remaining Resistance members, though without ammo, weren't about to quit just yet. Drawing inspiration from Gordon's actions, they looked at each other with grim determination, nodding to both themselves and their comrades. They were prepared to do whatever it took to win, even if it meant charging enemy lines to fight hand to hand.

"Hey down there!"

The call was shouted before the rebels below could even act on their cornered animal instincts, investigating gazes aimed at the roof showed twelve rebels above, one of whom was pushing a crate over the edge.

The object being pushed soon teetered over the edge, coming to a halt next to those below. "Supplies!" The rebel who had dropped it said by way of explanation.

The Resistance members needed no further encouragement, quickly gathering up the stored ammo inside and loading up their respective weapons.

"Doctor Freeman!"

Gordon risked a glance behind to see a familiar waving form, feeling the barest hint of relief grazing his mind at the sight. _Mitchell._

"We're here to lend you some support!"

The sound of pounding limbs echoing through the streets put all the rebels on edge, a sensation quickly changing to mounting terror for those at street level when a group of Striders appeared from opposite ends of the street Gordon and Barney had navigated earlier. The arrival barley registered to the attacking soldiers, indicating that they had called for support early on. The lumbering synths immediately set their sights onto those at street level, angry warbles emitting from their towering forms while they crouched to ensure accurate shots, their pulse turrets swerving.

Overwatch weren't the only ones unaffected by the arrival of the Striders, Gordon Freeman didn't spare them a second glance, knowing he would have to deal with the infantry before tackling supporting forces. Mitchell, however, and the twelve rebels under his command were focused on the Striders alone. Only five of them had seen Gordon eliminate three of the synths at a Combine fortification hours ago, but the story had already started sweeping through Resistance channels, serving to lessen everyone's fear of the towering monstrosities.

Turning to the six equipped with RPGs, Mitchell nodded at them to get ready. "Remember where to aim!" He said the moment they had shouldered their launchers, shouting to be heard over the deafening echo of weapons fire below. "Give 'em hell!"

The sound of whooshing rockets met his order to fire, the explosive ordnance tracking the aiming point of the launcher's laser sight. At such a distance, however, laser guides weren't as accurate as the rebels had hoped for and more than a couple of rockets missed their targets. Those that did find targets, hit their marks precisely, leaving one Strider to collapse to the street with only a single leg still attached to its carapace.

A second barrage was fired seconds later, causing a cluster of rockets to bisect the rear leg of another, sending it scrambling across the roadway in an effort to try to regain balance. All the debris littering the roadway served to make such an action counterproductive, and it wasn't long before the Strider stumbled, falling into an advancing section of Overwatch troops.

Gordon took advantage of the chaos in Overwatch ranks, sprinting toward enemy lines with crowbar raised. He descended upon the front rank before they could even attempt to regain unit cohesion, crowbar swipes striking the first two soldiers he met across the helmet, the force behind the blows more than enough to crack the protective helmets and pierce the fragile forms beneath. A Combine soldier directly to Gordon's front brought his pulse rifle to bear, but the straight edge of a crowbar penetrated his chest before he could even graze the trigger.

Empowered by Gordon, the blunt edge of the weapon riddled through, not only the body armour, but the trans-human's entire chest cavity. Kicking the corpse away from his crowbar, he continued his rapid advance, swiping at any soldier he came across. The rebels still next to the front entrance gazed on in awe as Gordon tore through enemy lines.

"Well, don't just stand there! Forward!" One of their number cried back after descending the steps, pausing to look back at them before sprinting after the One Free Man.

Those at ground level shook themselves out of their stupor, their comrade's battle cry taken up by all those present as they converged on the Combine, suppressing the flanks while Gordon spearheaded the assault through the centre.

Frenzied calls for support from Overwatch were taken up by the last Strider still present in the street. It's cybernetic mind deemed the battle between the infantry at street level to be in need of priority support. The last remnants of its organic thought patterns considered the biologicals on the roof to be an imminent risk, but they were the thoughts of a creature that operated on instinct, thoughts its cybernetic side considered irrelevant.

The last synth brought its attention down to the centre of rebel ranks, its warp cannon charging. Another volley of rockets were fired from the roof before the weapon could be fully primed, the bombardment targeting various areas of the behemoth. Most of them only impacted into its armour plating, sending the synth stumbling from the concussive force behind the detonations. The creature's frantic attempts to regain footing, however, led a rocket, that would have been off-target, to strike the connective point of its left leg. A splash of purple blood confirmed a direct hit, as did the Strider itself once it collapsed to the street.

Ironically, the Combine's own machinations came back to haunt them, for the Strider's instinct would have increased its chances of survival. Calculations and equations could only account for so many aspects of the battlefield; instinct and intuition were the real driving forces behind victory. It was a lesson the rebels had already learned, and one they put to good use as they continued their assault. With rocket support from the roof, Overwatch's defeat was never in any doubt.

Any force facing such overwhelming opposition would rather issue a retreat than be systematically slaughtered, but the Combine didn't allow their soldiers to feel fear or experience panic. They were only able to obey orders, and their sole command was to exterminate the rebels, there were no addendums to account for the possibility of falling back. So they stood their ground, only to be annihilated as their enemies continued pushing forward.

The last trans-human fell to a combined array of pulse fire and the rebels responded by letting out cheers in celebration. Though few in number, those left alive screamed as loud as they could, forging an overwhelming symphony of sound that seemed to shake the ground as they celebrated their victory and hailed those who had fallen. Only one refused to join in the cheer, only Gordon. Where the others gave verbal testament to their accomplishments, he only paused long enough to ensure the area was indeed secure before continuing on his trek to the Citadel.

Eli and Alyx Vance were still being held in captivity. As long as that fact remained so, he couldn't even fathom the idea of celebration. His eyes eventually rested on the single magazine for his USP that he had yet to use. It was hardly ideal for practical purposes, for there was only one bullet left inside. His gaze rested on the Combine command centre, and he tightened his fist around the clip before loading it into his sidearm. He still had work to do.

* * *

**I know, I know, 'what took so damn long!' Laziness, pure and simple.**

**Nogoodnms, ****KRSONMar,**** Deremix, ****loyd2323,**** pccraine ****(lawl), ****Lfan8****, HedyLamarr, and**** mellombror have my gratitude for convincing me to finally finish the chapter I had started weeks ago.  
**

**Hopefully, you'll find it was worth the wait.**


	12. The Summit

_**Chapter XII: The Summit**_

[()]

The summit is the culmination of all one's efforts, a testament to strength, dedication, and endurance. It is the point every decision, all roads and pathways, lead to. To most, it is regarded as the apex of struggle, the point at which conflict no longer plagues the mind. To Gordon, as he glanced through the large window showing the distant specks of light dotting what was left of City Seventeen, he knew it was just the beginning. He was confined within a pod, his armoured bulk held in place against the metallic frame by bars across his chest. It was the only visible means of transportation within the Citadel, something he already hated as his pod continued its rapid ascent. The illumination from what little daylight remained outside vanished once the windows disappeared from sight, leaving the veteran shrouded in shadow.

The dull clacking of metal reached his ears as the pod continued ascending on a rail, something it had already been doing for several minutes. Gordon found the stillness...unsettling. With nothing to focus his anger on, he found other emotions beginning to pierce through the veil, guilt the most tangible. His throat suddenly felt dry as he reflected on the recent actions that had led him to where he was.

_What have I done? _

_[()]  
_

Everything is decided at the top. For most, the sentence only referred to the upper echelons of an established hierarchy, something everyone experiences in their life, in some form or another. To a soldier, it also referred to one of the most important positions on a battlefield, the high ground. When battles were fought near such areas of elevation, given objectives to either hold or take the high ground were not far behind. Combatants holding or capturing such elevated areas could be a deciding factor in a battle, the single stroke that could turn the tide. Those same combatants knew that, like in most battle scenarios, it was always better to defend than to attack. Attacking soldiers are forced to sprint up to their capture points while defenders are able to mow down advancing sections, safe behind pre-constructed barriers and emplacements.

Gordon Freeman was all too aware of such a fact when he had been tasked with 'heading for the horse.' The Combine's last remaining garrison was the only thing that stood in his way, a garrison holed up in the remnants of a three story building. It comprised- not only of Overwatch soldiers and elites- but of patrolling Striders and gunships; Gordon didn't give a second thought to charging inside. He entered through the basement, a ragtag coalition of scattered Resistance members, he had found along the way, at his side.

The veteran led the charge up to the top level of what had been left of the three story structure, losing scores of friendlies along the way. The Citadel was so close by that point and Gordon's rage, all consuming, that only finite traces of his other emotions remained. Guilt, regret, grief, fear, they had all been used as fuel to the fire. It kept the anger burning strong, kept Gordon's mind rooted to the present, kept him focused on his goal, reminding him that Alyx and Eli still needed to be saved.

Nothing else mattered, not the exhaustion in his system- that his own adrenaline was having trouble masking- and not the grievous injuries that were starting to slow him down. Even the rebels lending him support were no longer his prime concern on the battlefield. He found himself ordering them out of cover, to follow him as he led an advance to the top of the building.

"Get out here!" The shouted command was directed to a reinforcing contingent of rebels. They were under cover, shielded from hails of incoming pulse fire while their comrades were in the thick of the action with Gordon, desperately firing at the soldiers above.

Screams resounded from both sides as combatants continued to slay one another, without hesitation, without mercy. Projectiles and explosions tore through what remained of the building's interior walls, sending chunks of brick and stone to accompany the shrapnel knifing through the air. There was no more cover available for the rebels, all they could do was hope that, by some miracle, they were shielded from the destruction surrounding them as they continued to lay down fire. A lot of them were not as well protected as they hoped, those that weren't killed by precise fire from trans-humans were riddled with shrapnel. Those still alive followed Gordon as he continued his relentless advance, rampantly firing at the Combine preventing rapid progress.

The advancing Resistance contingent was only a few metres from the roof access point by then, a fact the garrison's remaining defenders were all too aware of. A sudden barrage of fire from the left flank impacted into the Gordon's HEV suit. A snarl spread across his lips at the sight of a squad of trans-humans firing from behind the improvised cover of a debris pile. He glanced at the closest rebel behind him, viciously pointing toward the imminent threat once the man met his gaze.

The appointed rebel nodded in understanding, motioning for the others to follow him. Some of the Resistance members had already taken it upon themselves to help coordinate strikes. Acting as rally points in an advancing line, they kept the desire to crush enemy forces alive, even when the casualties were heavy.

"Let's go!"

"Move it up!"

Incoming pulse fire shredded through the front rank of charging rebels, sending them collapsing with screams. Their comrades manoeuvred around their injured or lifeless forms, determined to put an end to their enemies before they shared the same fate.

"Flank the bastards!"

A grenade was thrown into Resistance lines, sending combatants scrambling away from the rapidly blinking device. Only one was brave enough to try to throw the explosive back to its senders. She managed to hurl the grenade away from her kneeling form, though it barely brushed the tips of her extended fingers before exploding.

"Forward! Get the hell up there and kill them!"

The cry for vengeance appealed to those still able to move, a desire they were all too eager to satisfy as the remainder began a steady advance. They took cover whenever possible, firing all the while. They watched in satisfaction as Combine soldiers fell from the few bursts of fire that managed to be on target. Such satisfaction was short lived, however, as the trans-human's cold retaliation put a quick end to the advancing rebels.

Gordon had taken advantage of the Resistance induced chaos, slipping past the Combine's last defensive line and making his way up to the roof, killing anyone that stood in his way. Once atop, he made use of the RPG he had acquired an hour earlier, making short work of the patrolling Striders. Even through the thunderous boom of detonating rockets and the loud wails of the monstrous synths rampaging through the street, Gordon still took note of the point where friendly fire came to a halt below, a point reached after the sound of rebel screams reached a disturbing crescendo.

_The sacrifice was necessary._

Such words were repeated in his mind as he methodically continued his work on terminating the Striders. It was a statement provided by his current enraged state of mind, one he eagerly clung to, failure to do so would allow the crushing senses of guilt and regret to invade his mind. His gaze drifted from the last Strider to fall from his rocket strike, and toward the Citadel. He instantly thought of Alyx and Eli being subjected to torture and his lips curled back into a snarl.

_Nothing else matters._

Gordon didn't allow himself to think of anything else from that point on, letting his pent up anger flow out with everything he did. Anger with himself, with his failures, his exhaustion, his injuries, his memories, the Combine- it was all used to keep the fire burning, to make him highly proficient at what he was best at; mass-murder. He didn't say anything more either, not when he met Barney and Dog in the street, not when he began his ascent up the Citadel, and not when he began slaughtering Combine soldiers with a more powerful gravity gun- courtesy of the Combine's own security measures. Not a word.

_[()]_

Gordon snapped himself out of his regretful induced indulgences of his memories the moment the pod he was confined in ground to a halt. Two of Overwatch's finest were waiting for him within the small security room he found himself in. One of the trans-humans stepped forward and retrieved the only visible weapon he had on his person, the overcharged gravity gun slung on his shoulder. The veteran's fingers absently flexed toward the area where his USP Match still remained holstered on his side. The single bullet was still in the chamber, the weapon itself only having survived vaporization from the security field because the Gravity Gun had been targeted first. He'd only wished his crowbar had been so fortunate.

The sight of the security door opening brought Gordon's attention snapping back to it, the sight of the approaching form of Judith Mossman instantly set his eyes ablaze with rage. He thought he'd at least exorcised some of the blind fury that had been burning within him when he'd viciously slain Overwatch forces in the Citadel. The moment he saw Mossman, however, he knew the truth; he'd barely scratched the surface.

It was just the beginning.

* * *

**Thanks to Dj Sarabi, Deremix, KRSONMar, loyd2323, mellombror, _pccraine_, ghillie in the mist, and HedyLamarr for their remarks on the previous chapter.**

**Short, I know but don't worry, the next chapter will undoubtedly make up for it.**


	13. One Step Closer

**Chapter XIII: One Step Closer**

[{}]

Green eyes burned, a primal fury lighting the irises as Gordon continued to stare at Mossman's back. Not only did she have the gall to tell him that the situation he found himself in was for 'his own good,' but she'd had the audacity to tell him she was sorry. His only response had been a enraged growl as he had banged his bulk against the pod with the hope of breaking the locks and setting himself free. It hadn't worked, but he'd taken satisfaction in seeing the flash of fear in the scientist's eyes.

_You're not sorry Mossman, not yet_.

The pod started to move along a railing attached to the ceiling, transporting Gordon down a wide metallic corridor. A large rectangular cut out in the metal ahead provided a welcome addition of yellow illumination into the otherwise cold and unfeeling Combine crafted corridor. A familiar voice drew the Resonance Cascade survivor's attention, his gaze fixated on the source, a large chamber his pod was currently moving toward.

"...gas giants inhabited by vast meteorological intelligences, worlds stretched thin across the membrane where the dimensions...intersect..." An almost frustrated sounding sigh could be heard, "Its impossible to describe with our limited vocabulary."

Gordon's pod entered, giving him a view of Wallace Breen standing in front of a man who was confined in a similar manner, Eli Vance.

"What I've seen is also beyond words Breen," The Vance patriarch retorted, "Genocide. Indescribable evil." Eli's eyes flicked toward Gordon at the end of his last statement, his expression almost crestfallen. "Good god."

The Administrator turned to see what Eli was looking at, a wide smile stretching across his lips once he recognized his approaching guest. "Well if it isn't Gordon Freeman, at last."

An inputted command into the small console next to his oak desk was all it took for a metal arm to swing out from the railing above the raised dais in the Administrator's office, transferring Gordon to a new railing track and putting him next to his old friend.

Gordon glanced at Eli the moment his pod came to a stop, searching for signs of injury. His old friend met his gaze and nodded, knowing full well what he was analyzing him for. The simple confirmation had the veteran feeling relieved for more than one reason. His anger was so strong by now, that his body was quaking with suppressed fury. He didn't know how much more he could take before he started losing what little control he had left.

"What's this?" Breen asked, his voice filled with amusement as he gazed at the charged Gravity Gun held in the elite's hands. He dismissed the trans-human with a wave of his hand toward his desk, "Put it over there."

"You...have my gratitude Doctor," Breen spoke as he moved in front of his latest prisoner, a smug smile on his face. "First, you lead me to the doorstep of my oldest friend," He turned back to face Eli briefly, "Then you deliver _yourself_? If I'd known you would've come straight up to my office, I wouldn't have bothered hunting you in the first place. Having both of you in my keeping ensures that I can dictate the terms of any bargain I care to make with the Combine!"

The laughter at the end of his own sentence sounded slightly hysterical to Gordon, making a part of him wonder just what kind of position the Administrator was in, now that the citizens were openly rebelling against their usurpers.

"Doctor Breen," Judith interrupted from her position behind Breen's desk. "Wallace," She continued when his laughter didn't die down, her voice more insistent.

"Yes Judith, what it is it?"

"The bargain we should be making is for Eli's life, so he can continue his research."

Exasperation began to peak through Breen's joyful look, making it evident that it wasn't the first time such a suggestion was made. "Thanks to you," He said as he turned to face her, "We have everything we need in that regard. You're more than qualified to finish his research yourself. What neither you or I can do," Breen continued, his gaze drifting toward the window panels over Mossman's shoulder, "Is convince that...rabble in the streets to give up their senseless struggle. All because Eli," The Administrator whirled around to face the rebel in question, "Refuses to speak the words that would save them all!"

"_Save_ them? For what?"

The incredulous tone was enough to make Breen suddenly look tired, an absent hand rubbing his temple. He moved toward the console in front of his desk. "Eli, if you won't do the right thing for the good of _all people_. Maybe," He spoke as he pressed a button the interface, "You'll do it for _one_ of them."

The sound of decompressing air came from the far right of the chamber, the source being a lone storage pod bathed under a newly activated spotlight of blue light. The capsule's front unfurled, revealing the struggling form of Alyx Vance as she tried to shake herself free of the metal bonds that held her firmly against a smaller pod's metallic frame. A simple transfer between railings brought the woman in-between Eli and Gordon.

"Alyx!" Eli cried, his greeting tinged with a desperation that his daughter would undoubtedly share the same fate Breen saw fit to bestow upon him, something he had been hoping to spare her from.

"Dad!" Alyx returned the greeting in much the same manner, distressed that her father's situation had not improved, despite all her efforts.

The raw fury that had been coursing through Gordon diminished slightly the moment Alyx's pod came to a rest directly beside him. She turned to face him after greeting her father, an expression of pure disbelief on her face, as though she didn't quite think he was really there. "Gordon?" She looked defeated when he nodded, as though her defiant nature had evaporated with that single confirmation. "No.."

Alyx's voice was little more than a pained whisper, one that Gordon hoped was, in fact, emotionally induced and not the result of a physical injury. She looked well enough, but he had to be sure. "Are you okay?"

She turned her gaze away from the floor to look back up at him, her previous darkened outlook vanishing as a wry smile spread across her lips. "More or less." A pointed look to the pod, and another attempt to spring herself free, made it clear what the source of the 'less' in her statement was.

"God damn you Breen," Eli spat as he turned to face the man in question, his face twisting into one of the most intense displays of anger Gordon had ever seen him with, "You let her go!"

"That's all up to you my old friend." The reply was issued with a voice portraying the same fake kindness the city's citizens had been forced to hear too many times, a tone that instantly set Eli on edge as Breen stepped toward Alyx. "Will you let your stubborn short sightedness doom the entire species?" He paused, reaching out to run his hand along Alyx's face, "Or will you give your child the chance her mother never had?"

A glob of spit struck Breen in the side of his face, courtesy of Alyx; an action that clearly showed her opinion on the matter. Her voice was nothing but a quiet hiss as she stared at him, "How _dare_ you even _mention_ her."

Breen, who had hastily withdrawn his hand to wipe the saliva off his face, raised it to a striking position the moment the young Vance's words sunk in.

Gordon let out a growl at the sight of the Administrator about to backhand Alyx, the blinding fury was back.

The noise was loud enough for Breen to turn to the source, only a cursory glance into rage emblazoned green eyes needed before he seemed to rethink his decision, lowering his arm. "Alyx, my dear, you have your mother's eyes, but your father's stubborn nature."

"You haven't seen a bit of it yet!"

Seemingly amused by her declaration, the Administrator moved back to the console in front of his desk. "Really? Well, I'm curious to see how well your defiant attitude will continue to serve you on the far side of a Combine portal."

"Go ahead Breen," Eli spoke, ever the unbreakable spirit. "If that's the worst you can do, send us _both_ through your portal."

"Oh, it's hardly the worst," The mask of amusement still on his face as he pressed a button on his terminal, sending the three pods rotating. "But," He continued, his mask dropping to display the anger he was feeling at the entire situation, "You might find that hard to believe once you get there."

Judith looked incredulous, "It isn't necessary!"

Her frantic plea was easily dismissed by a wave of Breen's hand, an almost dry sounding retort passing through is lips. "I agree, its a total waste."

Alyx and Eli moved up toward a cylindrical tube embedded in the ceiling while Gordon came to a stop next to the smug visage of the City Seventeen Administrator. "Fortunately, the Resistance seems to have accepted a new leader. And this one has proven to be a fine _pawn_ for those who _control_ him."

_Impossible_. The word sprung to Gordon's mind, but he couldn't bring himself to fully believe it. The emphasis the old scientist put on the words, and the way he was smiling at him, made it seem as though he knew about the G-man.

"Don't listen to him Gordon!"

"How about it, Doctor Freeman?" Breen continued, slightly narrowing eyes the only indication he had heard Alyx's statement. "Did you realize your contract was open to the highest bidder?"

"Gordon would _never_ make any kind of deal with you!"

Alyx's firmly spoken declaration was shouted loud enough to make Breen bring his right hand up to his temple, as though he had a headache. Gordon, however, barely took notice of it. His thoughts were swarming with questions, ones he so desperately craved the answers to. He finally locked eyes with his tormentor, his cold gaze boring into him. "What do you know about that?"

Breen smiled wildly, "I can tell you everything I know Doctor Freeman. All you have to do," He motioned toward the window in his office, "Is end this pointless struggle in the streets."

Gordon followed his gaze, lapsing into silence. This could be the chance he'd been waiting for, a chance to learn about his mysterious employer. He'd once thought that he'd give anything to have his questions answered, but the thought of Alyx and Eli stopped him cold. _Nothing else matters._ It was the same phrase he'd told himself to endure the horrific sights he'd witnessed on his way to the Citadel, many of which he'd been responsible for. Now, however, as he told it to himself once more, he realized just how true the phrase was; nothing else did matter.

He turned back to face Breen and nodded weakly, oblivious to the look of hurt and betrayal on Alyx's face. "I'll bring the whole thing down."

Wallace Breen's smile grew all the more wider at Gordon's words, though the former scientist didn't share the sentiment. A gaze brimming with fury was levelled back to the Administrator as he finished. "I'm going to bring this whole corrupt, disgrace of a government, down around your head."

Anger quickly replaced the joy Breen had shown earlier as he punched in a command on his console, sending Eli and Alyx moving up inside the circular tube mounted in the ceiling. "Perhaps you'll feel more receptive, Doctor Freeman, after I've sent your friends on their way."

Gordon could only watch as Alyx and Eli's pods started moving inside the Combine portal, feeling defeated. He tried one last time to break free, banging his armoured bulk against his pod with the hope of shattering the locks. It didn't work.

"Dad," Alyx spoke softly, looking away from the portal she and her father were being slowly being herded inside, "I'm sorry."

"Alyx," Eli's very tone made it clear to his daughter that she had nothing to apologize for.

A heavy metallic thump resounded in the room, the noise loud enough to draw Gordon's attention to his companions, only to find that the rotation of their respective pods had ceased.

"Judith? What do you think you're doing?"

Mossman stood over the now smoking shape of Breen's control station, Alyx's EMP tool clutched in her hand. "We're doing what I could never do alone," She said, advancing on Breen, "We're stopping you."

The Administrator responded by manoeuvring around his desk, slamming a hand down on a Combine communication pad. "Guards, get in here!"

The sentence had barely been completed before another EMP discharge disabled that piece of electronic equipment as well. A heavy pounding noise confirmed the transmission had been received, the reverberating booms testifying to Overwatch's determination to breach the locked security door barring access to the Administrator's office.

"They know you betrayed them," Breen called as he rounded his desk, "They'll turn on you. Judith, Doctor Mossman, please-"

"I'm sorry Wallace, you're all out of time." She turned her attention back toward what was left of the console, only to snap her gaze back toward Breen once he had stepped toward her, Alyx's EMP tool displayed like a weapon. "Don't."

A placating motion of surrender met her threatening demand as Breen backed down. His submissive posture didn't last for long, for he made a grab for the Gravity Gun the moment Judith rushed toward Gordon's pod, using the EMP device to disable the locks.

The veteran turned an enraged gaze toward the city's administrator, taking careful note of the man's movements as he feebly struggled to bring the Gravity Gun to a firing position. It only took a few seconds before Gordon felt his armoured boots strike the floor. He immediately darted towards Breen, closing enough distance between them to see the wild fear in the man's eyes.

"No!"

Breen's cry was followed by a blast from the Gravity Gun that flung Gordon backward, leaving his armoured form to plough into the far wall with enough force to dent the metallic surface. The former scientist recovered immediately, springing back to his feet and pausing just long enough to see that the Administrator was headed for an elevator at the end of a small corridor before he took off after his prey, the previously holstered USP Match now gripped in his right hand.

An HEV empowered sprint allowed him to quickly close the gap between himself and Breen. He was only a few feet away before the lift doors started to close. He snapped the USP up to take a shot, but held his fire. There was only the smallest of gaps left for him at that point, a gap too small for even Gordon to risk wasting his last shot. A savage growl erupted from the former scientist's throat the moment the lift's metallic doors slammed shut, growing louder when he could hear the elevator beyond start to ascend. A sculpted stone bust of the Administrator to his left crumbled as he threw it into the wall, wishing it had been the real person.

"Dad!"

Alyx's frantic cry brought Gordon's gaze snapping back to the centre of the chamber, finding the Vance patriarch being supported by his daughter into a sitting position on the floor.

"No, no, don't worry about me, honey."

"There's no time Alyx, he'll be heading to the portal."

Judith's statement immediately grabbed Gordon's attention, a snarl on his face as he stalked towards her, tightening his grip around his USP. Emptying the last round into Breen's face had been his goal, but he didn't have a problem with missing the opportunity. Now the single bullet was meant for the betrayer currently standing next to Alyx and Eli. Her relaxed posture made it seem as though they were all friends. The very notion was enough to leave him seething in fury.

"Here," Judith continued as she handed Alyx her EMP tool, "You might need this."

The young Vance took the offered device, though any potential answer she might have had was interrupted by Gordon. "Well, as long as we're exchanging gifts." His left hand shot out to lightly grip Mossman by the throat, giving him the leverage to pin her against a damaged pod frame while his sidearm snapped up to a firing position, the barrel pressing against her forehead. "I have a bullet just for you."

"Gordon, what are you doing?"

He shot an incredulous look at Eli, finding it hard to believe that he would even think of asking such a question after everything Mossman put them through. _What I should have done in Nova Prospekt._

The feeling of a hand around his left arm brought his gaze over to a consoling looking Alyx, "Let it go Gordon." Alyx's tone was surprisingly gentle in the face of such a crisis, speaking as though she already knew what Gordon would do.

The One Free Man's gaze shifted between the young Vance and his intended target, a tightening grip around his USP the only indication of his indecision, as he thought about whether or not to pull the trigger. He could see the fear contained within Mossman's dilated pupils as she gazed at him, a feeling that he had eagerly looked forward to seeing her display ever since she had teleported out of Nova Prospekt with Eli.

Now that that she was literally at his mercy, however, he found his finger flexing on the trigger, just shy of squeezing the mechanism. For the first time since Mossman's betrayal, he was no longer absolutely certain what he was about to do was the right thing. His inability to act on one of the very things that had been swarming through his mind for hours greatly surprised him.

After all, he'd been in a similar situation once before, and he'd had even less time to think about what to do.

[{}]

The eerie darkness of the underground passageway made Gordon feel highly uncomfortable. His whole body was tense, his senses on high alert for reasons even he couldn't fully process. There was something about his surroundings that made him feel uneasy, but it wasn't for the obvious reasons. The blood slicked floor he had passed mere seconds ago, and the piles of corpses he had coldly stepped over were sights the physicist had grown disturbingly comfortable with. Truly, it was the little things that made him wary. The lack of light within the large storage room- something that even the most forbidding section of Black Mesa seemed to have- and the fact that the room was too large, packed full with stacked crates in such a way that navigating through the maze of pathways in-between containers only strengthened his unease.

A frustrated sigh escaped the MIT graduate after he forcibly tore his trigger finger away from his shouldered MP-5. For all intents and purposes, he shouldn't even have been moving through the storage area. It was a detour he had been forced to make in order to find a way to neutralize an HECU emplaced defensive grid. The one junction that would take him within sight of the Lambda complex was overrun with automated turrets and motion sensors. With no way to safely bypass it, he had been forced to find another route. That had been more than fifteen minutes ago, and he was still no closer to finding the grid's power source or finding another way out of Sector E.

With nowhere else to go but forward, Gordon moved carefully in-between stacked crates and containers. Moving slowly, and making as little noise as possible, he made sure all the surroundings areas where clear before proceeding further. Ten minutes passed until he was free of the encompassing storage containers. He should've felt better, should have felt a degree of safety now that he was free of the narrow confines of space, but he didn't. If anything, his uneasy feeling had only magnified.

Though he was standing in a relatively open area, the lighting was still dim. It looked like there was a metal walkway above him, almost like an overseeing area for loading and unloading supplies. With the research facility in shambles, it was expected for it to be unoccupied, but what troubled him was that he couldn't confirm whether or not the walkway was deserted. The sparse amount of illumination didn't extend to the second floor. His hands immediately fell back to the trigger housing of his MP-5.

His paranoia, which had been keeping him constantly alert for hours in the facility, had been nagging at him ever since he had stepped into the storage area. It wasn't a feeling he particularly trusted, but it was something he constantly embraced. Instincts and logic, they were the things Gordon trusted. Now, in the face of such ominous surroundings, even his logical side told him that he was in danger.

He reacted the only way he could, sprinting back toward the stacked crates, seeking shelter in-between containers. Floodlights snapped on the instant he whirled around, HECU marines appearing from areas previously bathed in shadow.

"Priority target sighted! Let him have it!"

Gunfire erupted in the storage area seconds later, sending various calibres of rounds toward Gordon's retreating form. With the extra power boost provided by his HEV suit, he was able to dive behind cover after suffering impacts from only a handful of bullets. None of them penetrated his suit's armour plating, but the HEV's power level was low enough that he had almost been sent reeling from the impacts. He crouched behind a metal container, MP-5 at the ready as he waited for the inevitable follow through.

"Tango is in retreat. Pursuit?"

"Negative, Alpha Team maintain overwatch. Bravo, close in and neutralize."

"Roger, moving in for the kill."

Alerted to the advancing squad by the sound of thudding boots, Gordon withdrew the lone smoke grenade he'd been saving for a desperate situation. He quickly pulled the pin and rolled the device out from his point of cover. It wasn't long before a thick curtain of issuing white smoke stood between the physicist and his enemies. He aimed his MP-5 roughly toward the centre of the smokescreen, his finger was on the trigger. He made no attempt to fire, however, simply settling for listening to the sound of a now cautious HECU advance.

Soft clacks were the only audible indication that the soldiers were still moving, but it was enough for Gordon to get a better idea of where the squad was. A discharging ten round burst erupted from his MP-5 a split second later, a muffled scream letting Gordon know that the tight arc of fire had scored a kill. He didn't have time to celebrate, however, and was already on the move before the retaliatory shots could be sent his way, sprinting to the other side of the storage area, seeking new cover.

Eager to avenge a fallen comrade, the attacking squad turned away from caution, storming out of the smokescreen with weapons raised. A quick series of double taps from Gordon took out two more combatants, leaving the survivors briefly stunned at the marksmanship. He vaunted over the container he was using as cover before they could get a fix on his location.

He didn't let up in his assault, constantly shifting between cover while he slowly wore down the enemy's strength. It hadn't taken long for the HECU to switch their methods from precision to pure aggression. Automatic fire erupted from enemy lines, screams for Gordon's head falling from their lips as they bombarded the storage area with 9mm and 5.56mm rounds. Their sudden berserk didn't faze the physicist in the least. He continued with his hit and run tactics, letting his suit take the damage while he continued to whittle away their numbers.

"What the hell is going on down there?" The sound of Alpha One's radio filtered voice cut cleanly through the near deafening crack of automatic weapons fire.

"We're getting torn apart! Can you see this bastard?"

"Negative, not through that smoke." There was a brief pause before the voice returned, "'Fall back!"

"I'm not retreating from a fucking scientist!"

Whatever sharp reprimand Alpha's squad leader was going to give was never heard. Gordon chose that moment to charge Bravo Team, unloading the last of his clip into the remaining four soldiers. They didn't have time to do anything other than swear at his sudden appearance and bring their weapons to bear before they all fell, dead before they even hit the floor.

Gordon scavenged their corpses for ammo before hunkering down next to another storage container, waiting for the remaining HECU to come and investigate. Instead of another attack, however, he heard something he never though he'd witness from the soldiers, a shouted demand for his surrender. The scoff was barley present in his mind before the soldier continued.

"We've got someone here who wants to see you!"

The distinct sound of a pistol being cocked could be heard before a familiar voice echoed in the storage room, "Gordon, help!"

_James_, The former Black Mesa employee thought with a grimace as he shook his head. He had linked up with the security guard again over three hours ago. They had only travelled together for a half hour before they had stumbled across an HECU staging ground. The two had gotten separated in the resulting firefight and, by the time it was over, Gordon had been unable to find any trace of his friend. He had begrudgingly assumed the worst and carried on.

For the man to suddenly appear here, of all places, seemed more than a little strange to Gordon. After all, he couldn't imagine why the HECU hadn't already killed him. His initial thought was that the soldiers were playing some kind of trick, but such a theory was crushed after Gordon peered through the small cracks in-between stacked containers, finding that James was indeed kneeling in front of a squad leader.

Rather than alleviate his suspicions, however, the sight only served to make them grow. Despite the narrow view he was confronted with, Gordon could clearly see both James and the squad leader, and what he saw left him troubled. The squad leader, while pointing a weapon at James, wasn't even looking at the prisoner, his gaze was resting on the stacked crates and containers. James, himself, looked perfectly healthy, not a single wound adorned any part of his body.

Having seen more than his share of HECU hospitality, and having rescued a few prisoners from the marines, Gordon knew that it was impossible for anyone stay healthy in the HECU's care, unless one was telling them everything they wanted to hear. The physicist's paranoia clutched at the idea firmly. While he would've preferred to have doubts, to not be a hundred percent positive on the disturbing revelation, he truly didn't.

Previously inexplicable run-ins with HECU forces for the past hour suddenly made so much more sense. With the amount of squads and defensive perimeters set-up, he had just assumed he'd wandered into the core of HECU operations in Sector E, now it was clear to him he'd simply been led to the very area he was in now. Every turret and mine rigged locale had forced Gordon to take detours, pathways that led him deeper into Sector E. Each step had taken him away from the direction of the Lambda complex, and there was only one other person, aside from himself, who knew that Gordon was heading in that direction, James.

An already barely controlled rage exploded inside Gordon at the revelation, previously amiable feelings toward his friend morphing into pure hatred. Spurred on by his rage, Gordon moved to where he had a good line of sight on the last remaining soldiers, letting them know his answer to their demands through volleys of 9mm fire. They responded to the barrage in kind, but Gordon didn't even bother seeking cover, letting his suit absorb the impacts while he held his ground.

Short controlled bursts laid waste to most of the squad in a matter of minutes, leaving only four left alive. Gordon chose that moment to charge, leaving the relative safety of the storage area with MP-5 firing at the closest two soldiers. A five round burst shredded through the bodysuit of one, while a double tap tore through the skull of the other. He switched his aim to the squad leader and pulled the trigger, only for the dull clack of an empty chamber to be heard.

A quick glance between the two surviving marines let Gordon know that the squad leader, with a pistol already being aimed in his direction, was the more imminent threat to his person. Hurling his now useless SMG at the man, he left him stunned long enough for him to withdraw his crowbar and close to melee attack range. Using the hooked end, Gordon pulled the soldier's right foot out from under him before bringing the straight-edge side around to impale the other squad member.

Viciously pulling the crowbar out from the fatal wound, Gordon wasted no time in finishing off the still stunned squad leader, hammering the metal tool into the man's skull until it was completely unrecognizable. A final, unnecessary stab to the chest with the straight-edge finally convinced the enraged physicist that his target was well and truly dead.

Gordon turned away from the soldier's body, the crowbar still wedged in the man's flesh. His eyes rested on James and, for the first time in his life, the scientist could have sworn he saw red.

James quickly started back-pedalling, visibly unnerved by the fire in the physicist's eyes, swallowing as he realized his friend already knew what he'd done. "Gordon, wait!"

He launched himself at the security guard without a word, tackling the man to the ground and raining down punch after punch to his face. The moment that action didn't seem satisfying, Gordon picked the man up and slammed him into the nearest wall. A Glock-17, the very one the security guard had given to Gordon after he'd wandered out of the test chamber, was pressed against his skull seconds later. "I survived for _this_!" Gordon yelled, the siderarm's barrel pressing more forcefully into the man's forehead as he continued in a low, venomous tone. "So that you could betray me."

"Gordon," He pleaded, blood splattering from his mouth, "You got to understand I-"

The rest of James' words ended in inaudible gurgling noises, a gloved hand violently clamping down on his windpipe.

"...I...I..."

The MIT graduate waited until the man's lips were turning blue before releasing his choke hold. He watched with a cold gaze as his target slumped to his knees, coughing and taking in heaving gulps of air.

"...they said...said that they'd...let ev...everyone else live...if only you...were in their hands."

Gordon could only shake his head at how naive the security guard was being if he even thought the HECU would be merciful. _No, not naive_, Gordon thought once James dared to look up at him and he was able to see that the look on his face reflected something else entirely, _desperate_. He could understand the feeling, for he was not immune to such a frantic need to escape Black Mesa. Just because he shared the feeling, however, didn't mean he would even think about betraying his friends. A storm was brewing inside Gordon, a whirlwind of hurt, rage, and pain- all of which demanded vengeance.

James's eyes widened at the sight of his friend's Glock-17 snapping up to a firing position. The butt of the weapon smashed against both sides of his face before he could even utter a word of protest, leaving him dazed from the dual blows. The distinct sound of the weapon being cocked brought the security guard's attention back to Gordon, to see that the Glock was now levelled at his head. A hiss escaped him from the pain pounding in his head, briefly exposing crimson soaked teeth. "Y...you...would really kill...a friend?"

A deafening gunshot rang out within the underground chamber, the last sound James would ever hear before the discharging bullet riddled through his skull. "You're no friend of mine," Gordon finally replied as he slowly lowered his weapon.

[{}]

The memory faded away, leaving Gordon to see that he had inadvertently tightened his grip around his USP sidearm. James had betrayed him, but Gordon couldn't deny that he had been plagued by a sense of regret over the cold, calculating verdict he had administered. That feeling had faded away the more time he had spent in Black Mesa, becoming nothing but a distant echo. But the sensation had never truly left him. Mossman deserved the same fate, but Gordon found himself asking whether he was willing to endure such remorseful feelings a second time, or if he even would; his hands had long since been stained with blood, he'd lost track of how many lives he'd taken.

_Will I regret it this time too?_ His eyes narrowed, his finger grazing against the trigger. There was only one way to find out.

The grip around his forearm tightened, "Gordon please, just let it go."

"But she sold us out," The insistent statement made once he made eye contact with Alyx.

"I know."

Her resigned look surprised him, his grasp on Mossman faltering. He looked at Alyx, her pleading expression finally convincing him. He still wasn't sure if he would be bothered by killing Judith Mossman, but he _did_ know that Alyx's negative reaction to it would bother him quite a bit. Holstering his sidearm and removing his grip around Mossman's throat, he stepped back.

Judith practically fell to the floor, barley managing to regain her footing before moving closer to Eli. Gordon turned away from the sight, his eyes resting on Alyx.

She offered a brief smile in his direction before it vanished, the urgency of the situation returning. "C'mon Gordon," She tugged on his arm in the direction of the hallway Breen had disappeared down. "Let's go."

The two sprinted toward the elevator at the end of the corridor, only stopping once their feet came in contact with the lift's glass paneled floor. A quick use of Alyx's EMP tool on the security panel bypassed the Combine encryption, allowing the elevator to start its ascent.

The veteran's gaze moved to the top of the elevator shaft, his fingers brushing against the pistol grip of his USP, anticipating the kill he could still make. The good Administrator may have escaped once, but it wasn't going to happen again.

"Gordon?"

His eyes drifted to Alyx, who he was surprised to see gazing at him in an almost abashed manner. "We...well, we haven't exactly known each other for very long, but...I know you didn't have to do this. I had to rescue my father, but you..." She trailed off, nervously tucking a stray strand of hair back behind her headband, her gaze briefly falling to the floor before snapping back up to meet Gordon's own. "Thanks for coming after me."

The alluring smile she sent his way was something he'd never seen before. It displayed an amount of affection he'd never before been privy to receiving, and he found himself mesmerized by the sight. Gordon looked away several seconds later, realizing his anger had subsided with that single glimpse at her smile. He feared that if he stared at her any longer, he would lose more of the very rage he had come to rely on to keep himself focused. He couldn't afford to do that, not in the heart of the Combine war machine.

"You don't leave people you care about behind Alyx."

Gordon's whispered reply was issued just when the Resistance woman's smile had started to disappear, just when she had started to think that he had turned away because he didn't share the sentiment. Instead, his words brought the expression right back.

"...can still deliver Earth, but not without your help."

Gordon's piercing gaze shot upward the moment he could hear the words of Doctor Breen. Alyx did the same, her smile dissipating into a frown as the Administrator continued to speak.

"The portal's destination is...untenable, surely you can set the relay elsewhere. There's no way I can survive in that environment. A _host _body? You must be joking! I can't possibly...all right, damn it, if that's what it takes! Just _hurry_, he's right behind me."

The elevator jolted to a stop at Breen's level, putting the Resistance duo only a corridor away from their quarry. Even with the ten metre distance separating them from Breen, they could still see the Administrator looking up at one of the giant monitors positioned above an array of control stations. Gordon was momentarily distracted by the sight of, what closely resembled, a green slug on the display. The creature seemed to glance up at the two newcomers as they sprinted down the hallway, something that did not escape Breen's notice.

"Oh, shit!"

The elder scientist was already on the move, even before the two Resistance fighters reached the Combine security screen blocking access to the control room. A single jolt from Alyx's EMP tool and Gordon sprinted inside, whirling to the left with USP raised. In only took the veteran a split second to acquire his target; the Administrator had moved toward an elevator only a few metres away, whose thick doors were already closing. The trigger of the USP sidearm was squeezed the moment its wielder sighted on Breen's head. The discharging 9mm round arced toward its intended mark, only to impact into the door's impenetrable glass.

Breen's smug smirk had quickly dissolved into one of pure terror the moment the gunshot had resounded within the small control room, only for the self-satisfied expression to return in full force when he realized he was still alive. An added, mocking wave of his hand was enough to make Gordon growl, viciously discarding his now useless pistol once the lift began a descent and the Administrator disappeared from sight.

"Damn it, not again!"

Alyx's exasperated shout brought Gordon's attention to her as she crossed over to the control station. She stopped short, however, her gaze falling to a familiar shape on the floor. "Huh, look at what he left behind." Alyx smirked, stepping aside to show her companion what she had found. "The Gravity Gun. He doesn't have a clue, does he?"

Gordon's only response was to scoop up the last remaining weapon in his arsenal, glad to see that it's energy core was still overcharged, blazing a light blue.

"I wonder where he's going?" Alyx turned her attention away from the Gravity Gun, focusing on the control system in front of her.

Easily bypassing enemy encryption codes, she infiltrated the Combine network, immediately finding it curious that a large amount of power was being siphoned to an area close by. Finding that she was in an observation room, Alyx simply keyed for an opening of a retractable blast door. An dim orange glow grabbed her attention, a sign of just how few daylight hours were left. The brief look of wonder soon turned to trepidation the moment she realized why she was able to see such a large area of the sky; she and Gordon were currently at the highest part of the Citadel.

Directly behind the observation glass, a large metal platform formed a ring around a towering spire placed directly in the centre. The platform's grated surface allowed Alyx to see that the colossal structure not only reached several metres above the walkway, but many more down into the cylindrical shaped chamber below. A pulsing sphere of white energy stood at the point where the spire met the platform. Its size varied in width, small energy balls continually feeding its growth- siphoned toward it through vertically emplaced conduits.

It took Alyx less than a few seconds to realize what exactly she was staring at. "Oh my god. This...is the Citadel's Dark Fusion Reactor." She turned toward her companion, surprised at his bewildered expression.. "It powers their tunnelling entanglement device." She explained, resolve clearly etched on her face as the importance of such an operation finally hit her. "We've _got_ to stop Doctor Breen."

The young Vance moved back to the control station, her fingers dancing across the console. A blaring red on the display board signalled a failed attempt at aborting the reactor power up sequence, something she responded to by trying to rout the command through a different junction, only to be met with the same result.

"I can't shut it down." The incredulous whisper quickly turned to one of anger, "Breen must have turned over control to the other side. I can't do anything from here."

The words had barely passed through Alyx's lips before Gordon started moving toward the elevator. The unmistakable sound of his armoured boots clacking against the metallic floor alerted Alyx to his intention. Her hand gripped his forearm, putting a halt to Gordon's movements.

"What do you think you're doing?"

The veteran raised a brow in surprise, a reaction more from her frantic tone than the words themselves. There had once been a time when he would have posed that very question to himself, a time when he would wonder why it was always his services that seemed to be required for every dangerous task. Looking at Alyx, he gently took hold of her hand, removed it from his arm, and shared the answer with her- one that he had learned at Black Mesa. "What I have to."

She regarded him for a moment, a brief fearful gaze given to the reactor. There were so many risks Gordon was taking by going inside the chamber while it was powering up that she couldn't even begin to explain it to him. Her father had been researching Combine technology for almost two decades and yet there were still so many things about their equipment that he, and the Resistance, did not understand. "You have _no idea_ what will happen in there Gordon. The entanglement's activation sequence alone, could _kill_ you!"

Gordon only looked at Alyx in response, letting her know that he couldn't be dissuaded, not with what was at stake. She picked up on that, studying him carefully for several seconds before slowly nodding, a highly reluctant sign of concession on her part. "Get in the elevator and I'll let you in."

Her voice was barely above a whisper, just loud enough for the Resonance Cascade survivor to hear. Alyx's lips were compressed in a tight line as she turned back to the control station. He thought of saying something, anything to help put her at ease, particularly since he had a feeling this was his last fight. Nothing came to mind, however, so he settled for boarding the elevator.

Alyx ran toward the lift the moment the doors closed. "Do your worst Gordon. But," She continued, her convicted tone morphing into worry as she pressed her hands against the glass, "Be careful."

"Count on it." Gordon purposely responded only to her first statement, knowing full well he couldn't promise anything else.

The elevator descended seconds later, taking its lone passenger into the core chamber. Gordon stepped out of the lift the moment it came to a halt, following along the lone corridor until he emerged into the chamber itself. His eyes immediately narrowed at the sight of Doctor Breen standing on a circular platform, one surrounded by a globe of reddish energy as it started slowly ascending up the very spire Gordon had caught a glimpse of in the control room.

"Doctor Freeman," Breen's voice filtered through the Citadel COM array, his tone as smug as ever. "You really shouldn't be out there. At the moment of synapse as I teleport, this chamber will be bathed in deadly particles that have yet to be named by human science. Perhaps, when I have the leisure to do the work myself, I'll name one of them after you. That way," Breen concluded, his tone suddenly vicious, "You won't be _completely_ forgotten."

Gordon didn't bother listening, settling for finding the quickest way to begin an ascent of his own. His eyes scanned the array of machinery around the chamber, taking in the large slabs of metal continually rotating around the centre of the chamber, alternating between levels. It was his ticket to the top of the spire, but he would have to move further along the walkway before he could reach his goal.

"When the singularity collapses, I will be far away from here- in another universe as a matter of fact. You, however, will be destroyed in every way it is _possible_ to be destroyed, and even in some which are essentially _im_possible!"

Gordon was barely listening, having long since begun his sprint up the gradually sloping walkway. The electronically modified voices of trans-humans suddenly registering loud and clear to Gordon was his first indication that Breen had finished his rant.

"Outlying sweep of chamber 00-42 complete, all units converge on established points and ensure sterilization."

"Transmission confirmed, orders acknowledged. Two-Four is moving in."

"Two-Five on station, ready to assist."

The sound of rapidly footsteps alerted Gordon to the threat behind him before he was able to fully see it. The dull blue lighting in the corridor beyond the security screen prevented him from knowing just how many trans-humans were barrelling toward him. He barely had time to snap the Gravity Gun up to a firing position before five soldiers emerged with pulse rifles raised. Dual blasts erupted from the weapon's core, the dispelling energy violently slamming into two of the trans-humans, sending them both flying back into the nearest wall, along with two others standing too close to their comrades.

The last soldier, an Overwatch elite, was on the One Free Man in seconds, closing to melee range as he slammed the butt of his rifle down against the only vulnerable section of his target, the face. Gordon lost his grip on his sole weapon, left reeling from the dual blows. He ignored the taste of coppery liquid flowing from his mouth, settling for halting the trans-human's assault by gripping the centre of a wielded pulse rifle before it could strike him again. His other hand moved to strike the trans-human's only weak point, his side.

Gordon's armoured fist easily tore into the lightly armoured section of fabric, bypassing the heavy plated torso coverings to hammer away at the elite's frail form. Pained grunts, a vestigial feeling the trans-human was still able to express, escaped him as Gordon continued his savage assault. The elite tried to fight back but, with the exception of a user's exposed head, the HEV suit offered no weak points.

The sound of more radio chatter forced Gordon to turn his attention to the other end of the walkway. The rest of Overwatch unit Two-Four moved into the chamber, their weapons scanning back and forth as situation reports were requested from the rest of the squad. The appearance of reinforcements didn't got unnoticed by the elite either, for he sent out a transmission of his own.

"Lead to Two-Four, request immediate support!"

The rest of the squad heeded their section commander's plea, tracking the source of his COM call and swerving to face the opposite end of the platform. Frenzied transmissions filled the COM the moment they identified the trans-human's attacker.

"Anticitizen One spotted!"

"Take him down!"

Pulse capsules and 4.8mm rounds impacted against hardened HEV plating seconds later, leaving Gordon grimacing in pain. His grip on the Combine elite, however, never faltered. In fact, he pulled his captive closer to him, wrapping an arm underneath his helmet and pulling him up against him and into the line of fire. Overwatch's standard issue armour was put to the test as multiple projectiles tore into the elite's heavy plating. The trans-human's grip around his own weapon slipped completely as he thrashed in Gordon's grasp, electronically modified screams joining the cacophony of gunfire.

Swinging the newly captured pulse rifle around to target his enemies, Gordon let loose a volley of automatic fire. Soldier after soldier fell to the HEV clad man's accuracy, each mowed down before they could even attempt to find cover. He didn't stop until he had exhausted the magazine's entire thirty round supply, finally letting both the weapon, and the now dead elite, slip from his grasp. Gordon waited for the familiar feelings of gradual relief to signal morphine administration, but nothing happened.

"Warning: HEV suit power has been depleted, medical systems offline."

Before he could do anything more than snarl at his own misfortune, a flurry of enemy radio traffic echoed from the other side of the walkway.

"Unit Two-Four is unresponsive, Two-Five go loud!"

"Confirmed, utilize attack pattern Sierra Two and move in! Move in!"

There wasn't any time to waste, a fact Gordon had known even before the heavy footfalls of rapidly advancing soldiers reached his ears. He quickly scooped up the previously discarded Gravity Gun and turned his attention to the metal platform still rotating around the chamber's centre. There was no time for him to calculate how fast the object was moving, he simply waited until it was close by before leaping towards it. Just when it seemed like the platform would pass him completely, Gordon's right hand shot out to grip the edge of the metallic surface. The sudden jolt whipping through his body sent an even greater spasm of pain rippling through his torso, putting his endurance to the test.

He forced himself to ignore the sensation, hauling himself on top of the platform mere seconds before it started ascending to the top of the spire. Sheer horror gripped him once the second level walkway came into view. He had thought the reinforcing squad would comb through Two Four's last known location. It was only at that moment, with Overwatch forces motioning toward his armoured form, that he knew he'd made a fatal mistake.

"Target sighted, vector zero-one-one!"

With the soldiers too far away for the Gravity Gun to do any damage, Gordon did the only thing he could, he turned away- presenting as small of a profile as possible, raising his right arm to shield his head.

The reinforcing contingent opened fire moments later, bombarding their target with pulse capsules and 4.8mm rounds. Gordon couldn't do anything, save for taking the barrage and hoping that the HEV suit would let him survive for just a little bit longer. By the time he moved out of the squad's range, his very body felt as though it were on fire. Simply remaining motionless made his neurons continually pulse in agony. Moving created a sensation of anguish so profound that Gordon was amazed he was still alive.

Still, he found the drive to jump to the top walkway the second it came into view, knowing full well he would never survive a second barrage from the Overwatch forces below. The jump was small, only a two metre gap, but Gordon fell to his knees the moment he made contact with the smooth, plated metal, barley able to bite back a scream as the already searing pain skyrocketed to new levels.

His grip on the Gravity Gun was failing, his vision was getting blurry and unfocused- even though his glasses were still intact; pain clouded every space of his mind. It was more than even Gordon Freeman could hope to tolerate. He knew he had to keep going, but he could no longer remember the reason for it and he found himself wishing he could just give in instead.

Suddenly, Alyx's voice came through loud and clear on the suit radio, cutting through the fog shrouding his mind, a beacon to help guide him back on his path. "Gordon! The reactor's energy collection is in the final stage, you've got less than a minute!"

Gordon forced himself to continue, every step becoming a challenge. There was less than ten metres of distance to cover but, in Gordon's condition, it may as well have been miles. He moved as long as he possibly could, his staggering movement soon coming to a standstill. Unable to endure the sensation of standing any longer, he fell to his knees.

"Oh, no. No, no, no! Gordon? GORDON!"

He didn't realize that he was in plain sight of Alyx through the observation window, didn't know that she had thrown herself at the glass, regarding him with glistening eyes, her voice gradually dipping into hysteria. The only thing he knew was that he was staring right at the reactor core, and that his task was almost done. He slowly started to raise the Gravity Gun toward the energy balls still moving toward the collection trays. The struggle was intense, his body could barely comply with his demands.

"Blood loss critical. Vital signs failing."

The suit's warning seemed to pound in his head, a foreboding sentence that only served to make him try harder. His grip on the Gravity Gun was starting to slip, the improvised weapon suddenly feeling twice as heavy as he remembered. Arms both twitching and trembling from pain, he fought to lift the weapon toward the energy balls, barley managing to capture one within the Gravity Gun's containment field. He rotated his body toward the core's reactor.

A vicious growl escaped Gordon as he tried to take aim with his captured prize. He was losing control, his body was slowly shutting down. His growl soon morphed into a defiant cry as he forced himself to take aim and fire. The energy ball arced away from the Gravity Gun, flying straight into the reactor. A small shockwave signalled the implosion of the unstable energy source, one that destroyed the reactor's own containment field.

The once large, bright orb of white energy suddenly collapsed in on itself, rapidly shrinking until it was the size of the energy balls still being fed towards it. Tendrils of energy arced away from the orb, each one shooting out like bolts of lightning- the concentrated blasts destroying anything in their path, including the observation window.

Alyx ran towards Gordon the moment she was able, jumping down onto the walkway and kneeling down next to him. She gripped his face, bringing his gaze toward her own, immediately feeling a painful clench in her heart at the dull, faraway look in his once vibrant green eyes. "Gordon!" When he made no move to respond, she pulled way from him to inspect the damage, her terror mounting at the sight of so many crimson soaked punctures to his suit. "Its not that bad," The lie nervously tumbled from her lips as she turned back to face Gordon, "You can pull through You just have to stay with me until I get you some help."

Gordon had no idea how he had been able to tolerate the recoil from the Gravity Gun in his current condition; a push-back that, even when he was perfectly fine, tested his strength. It had, however, severely aggravated his already grievous wounds. The Gravity Gun had fallen out of his grasp the moment he had pulled the trigger and he had given up trying to remain upright. The distant sensation of warms hands on his face was the only thing that stopped him from slumping to the floor.

It took him a long time to realize that it was Alyx, and even longer to realize she was speaking to him. He strained to hear what she was saying, willed himself to hold on, to use Alyx's presence as an anchor. But it was already too late.

He fell to the floor, only to be intercepted by Alyx as she wrapped her arms underneath his armpits and started dragging him back to the observation area. A low whine resounded from the still destabilizing reactor, immediately drawing the young Vance's attention, the pitch increasing in volume. "Gordon," She pleaded, hoping he was, at least, still partly conscious, "I need you to help me out here." Her eyes fell to the orb, "I don't think we have much-"

The reactor exploded a split second later, gathering energy balls finally triggering an overload. Alyx brought her right hand away from Gordon to shield her eyes from the intense brightness of the erupting fireball.

"Time, Doctor Freeman?"

Even unconscious, Gordon couldn't escape the chilling voice, a sound that seemed to echo in his head. Bleary green eyes snapped open seconds later as Gordon was roughly pulled back to consciousness. His initial hope of a nightmare faded the moment he saw that the world around him seemed to have come to a standstill. A giant fireball stood where the reactor had once existed, its molten fragments frozen in mid-air. Suddenly feeling compelled to stand, he rose to his feet, surprised to find there was no pain. As if to prove that what Gordon was experiencing was no illusion, his employer slowly materialized out of thin air, directly in front of him.

"Is it really that...time again? It seems as if you've only just arrived."

The G-man took a moment to gaze at Alyx, staring at her far too long for Gordon's liking. "You've done a great deal in a small time span." The suited man cast a look at the giant fireball behind him, a smirk stretching across his pale face as he turned back to face his charge. "You've done so well, in fact, that I've received some interesting offers for your services. Ordinarily, I wouldn't contemplate them, but," He continued, his smirk growing just a bit larger, "These are _extra_ordinary time, hmm?"

"Rather than simply offer you the illusion of free choice," He continued after a brief pause, "I will take the liberty of choosing for you. If, and when, your time comes 'round again."

Gordon closed his eyes briefly, he had always known this would happen, that his mysterious employer would come to collect him at some point. Still, a part of him had dared to hope he had been wrong.

A bright flash surrounded the veteran, generating an illumination so intense that he was forced to close his eyes. When he finally dared to open them, he was shrouded in darkness, the G-man suddenly speaking to him face to face.

"I do apologize for what must seem to be an arbitrary imposition, Doctor Freeman. I trust...it will all make sense to you in the course of..." He trailed off, a thoughtful expression on his face, as though he were choosing whether or not to finish his sentence. "Well, I'm really not...at liberty to say."

"In the meantime," He continued, a familiar smirk on his lips as he finished in a whisper, "This is where I get off." The suited employer stepped back from his charge, adjusting his tie before being engulfed in white light.

The illumination faded almost as quickly as it appeared, a familiar feeling of drowsiness washing over the only remaining occupant of the void. Gordon hadn't resisted at Black Mesa, and he didn't resist now, gladly succumbing to the feeling, daring to hope that everything would be better when he woke up; despite the fact that he knew it wouldn't be. The brief illusion of freedom had fallen down around him, the shackles were back on his wrists.

There was no escape.

* * *

**Finally, I'm back! (in the saddle ****again...)**

**Language warning: The word 'fuck' is used once in this chapter, people with weak swear vocabularies may want to wear blindfolds. Huh...maybe this should be at the beginning. Oh well, at least no-one can say I never told them.**

**Nogoodnms, KRSONMar, loyd2323, ghillie in the mist, and Sonic9234: Thanks for the reviews on the last chapter.  
**

** To tell you the truth Nogoodnms, I wasn't all that fond of chapter 11 either, but at the same time I couldn't really figure out how to improve it. Ideally, your interest has been re-piqued in this chapter.**

**loyd2323's recent question has reminded me that others have asked whether I will be continuing straight on to Episode I or jumping back to the Resonance Cascade. To clarify for all, I have _no _desire to write a Half-Life 1 story. All of Gordon's experiences in the facility worth mentioning will be included as flashbacks within this fic anyway, so I don't really see the point. **

**Episodes I and II for sure though. I may even create my own scenario for ep III...again (assuming its not already out by the time I reach that point)  
**

**Anyway, please review and let me know what you think about this chapter.**


	14. The Edge

**Chapter XIV: The Edge**

[{}]

All of her senses suddenly came barrelling back to her at once, leaving Alyx Vance feeling incredibly dazed. The instinctive urge to shield her face was present in her mind, but it was little more than an echo of a thought, something that convinced her to lower her already raised arms. The feeling of foreign limbs around her shoulders and back brought her gaze to her right and left, where she was surprised to find Vortigaunts holding onto her, their once iridescent skin now a shimmering purple and their formerly red eyes now a blazing blue.

The creature to her right didn't acknowledge her, his gaze was directed at the metal floor of the Ctiadel walkway. The one to her right, however, returned her gaze, nodding in a way that let her know she had nothing to fear. Words she distantly recognized as being from the Vortigaunt's own tongue were repeated over and over, the loud echo leading her to believe there were more present than the two in her immediate line of sight.

Then a bright light overloaded her retina, and everything went dark.

[{}]

Time had no meaning within the void, something Gordon knew from previous experience. One moment he was watching the G-man disappear, and the next the suited man was walking back towards him, an eerie smirk spreading across his pale features.

_How many years have gone by this time? _

The disturbing question haunted him the moment he saw his employer. As far as he knew it could've been another twenty years. The added fact that he didn't know where he would be going only served to make his employer's presence that much more unnerving.

The G-man opened his mouth to speak, but a flash of light beside him turned whatever he was going to say into a surprised gasp. He turned toward the source of the disturbance, the sound of familiar chanting turning his expression into one of disbelief, a look that changed to one of pure fury as the same sound was echoed on the others side.

The flashes of blue increased in frequency and Gordon felt as though he were being forcibly dragged away, his vision warping, split between the shadowy outline of his own employer and alien creatures he recognized as Vortigaunts. A ring of the creatures had taken up positions between the suited man and himself, funnels of blue energy forming from outstretched limbs as they continued chanting in their own language.

"We'll see," The G-man spoke after viciously adjusting his tie, "About _that_!"

Two more of the Xen-aliens appeared in front of Gordon, blue hued irises seeming to study him for a moment. One reached out as if to grab him and, for the first time in the void, Gordon wished he could move.

_Get away!_ The words, though meant to be yelled, remained locked within his mind; he still couldn't speak.

Instead of making contact with Gordon's suit, however, the Vort held a hand palm outward toward his target's chest. The purple energy already shimmering around his body reached a focal point within his outstretched limb, releasing a small orb toward Gordon's suit.

Instinctively bracing himself for the feeling of pain, the veteran was surprised to find that there was none. Then both the Vorts stepped close enough to grab ahold of him, their heads bowed. His perceptions were failing, the darkness threatening to overcome his vision despite all of his efforts to remain conscious. One last word in their own language echoed in his ears.

"Taaar..."

[{}]

The ominous crackle of an unstable Citadel reverberated throughout City Seventeen, an instability mirrored by the swirling orange and red clouds at the top of the colossal structure, and amplified by the sound of deafening crashes as molten metallic debris rained down from above. The Citadel wasn't the only disturbing vista in the immediate landscape though. Every building within the surrounding precinct had been reduced to little more than a ruin, only the barest races of the former structures remained standing. As foreboding as the spectacle was, however, Alyx Vance was ignoring it entirely. Her attention wasn't directed at the ruined buildings, or even at the Citadel, it was focused on the piles of rubble forming what was left of a building's basement.

She had lost count of how many debris piles she had sifted through, or how much time had passed since her robot companion, Dog, had dug her out of her own pile of rubble. All she knew was that Gordon was still unaccounted for and she had to find him. She had been cursing herself for not having remembered him when the Vortigaunts had suddenly appeared in the Citadel. She knew the creatures wouldn't leave Gordon behind- they had spoken highly of him in the past- but, at the same time, she couldn't understand why she hadn't already found him.

Alyx had expected Gordon to be near where Dog had found her, but an extensive search had yielded no results. She had greatly expanded her search since then, the only finds of interest had been the Gravity Gun, which Dog had found even before her, scattered medkits- which she had stockpiled for future use, and a Combine issued transmitter that had been in serviceable enough condition for her to use. With it, she managed to reach the distant rebel base of White Forest, located far outside of City Seventeen.

To both her surprise, and immense relief, she found that her father had already arrived at the base with Judith, the two having been whisked away from the Citadel by Vortigaunts as well. When Alyx had informed her father about her situation he had been stricken with panic, adamantly insisting she get out of the city as fast as she could; telling her that the Citadel was on track for a meltdown.

"But Dad," She had stubbornly argued, feeling her resolve crack slightly at the sight of his fearful expression on the transmitter's screen, "I can't leave Gordon behind."

His features had softened at that, his response delivered with a quiet, but convicted tone. "You won't find him Alyx, not there."

The transmission had broken down before she could respond, Eli's final cry for her to get out of there the last thing she heard before the signal finally degraded.

Alyx hadn't left though, she couldn't; not with Gordon still missing.

Since then, the ominous crackle above the Citadel had grown louder, the only clear indication to the young Vance that a discernible amount of time had passed. She could feel her worry growing with every second ticking by, every second she was finding everything but the one person she wanted to. It wasn't just from the fear of an impending explosion, but a fear for Gordon's life. He had barely been hanging on as it was when the reactor exploded, and she had been all too aware that he had required immediate medical attention, even then.

_Maybe he's..._ Alyx couldn't even complete the thought, though an unwanted image of Gordon's lifeless form entered her mind before she viciously stomped it down. _Just find him_. She turned back to a pile of rubble in front of and started sifting through it, barely aware of Dog following her example on another pile to her right. _Everything else takes a back seat._

"He has to be around here somewhere..." She was barely aware of voicing her stubborn thoughts aloud as she shifted through the pile in front of her. This was the last likely searching spot she had come across and she didn't know what to do next if he wasn't here. That trickle of fear was back again, but she pushed it away. "Gotta be close...just gotta..."

Returning to consciousness was far from pleasant for Gordon, the sensation of a crushing weight pressing down on him gradually becoming registered by his sluggish mind. He opened his eyes, frowning when he was greeted by nothing but darkness. He blinked, hoping the pitch blackness was merely a signalled need for his eyes to adjust. Nothing changed, however, and it brought up the question of where the hell the Vortigaunts had moved him.

_Vortigaunts_. The very name of the species sent a surge of fury rippling through him. They had taken him from his mysterious employer for reasons Gordon was convinced were devious.

_Maybe they want me to work for them_. The thought of being an agent for the Xen-lifeforms was a highly unnerving prospect, even more so than being under the G-man's control. But it was a possibility he forced himself to consider. One that, the more he thought about, the more it seemed likely. His current surroundings were eerily reminiscent of the void his employer had deposited him in twice now.

The realization made his anger evaporate almost as quickly as it had come.

_What did it matter?_

Both factions had powers he couldn't even begin to grasp, and both seemed determined to use him to their own ends. There truly was no point in resisting, the only thing he could do was survive. But, even as the thought crossed his mind, a small part of him couldn't help but question what the point of survival was, when his very existence seemed to be bent on serving others.

A low whooping noise forced the veteran to push his thoughts back down, a dull thumping sound quickly accompanying it. The noise gradually grew louder, a sudden illumination of light forcing Gordon to squint until his eyes could adjust. More light flooded in soon after, denying him the chance. The sound of creaking metal and a soft whoop sounded eerily familiar, though he couldn't remember why.

"Any luck over there Dog?"

Gordon's eyes shot open, instantly as wide as dinner plates. _That voice_.

The moment his employer's chilling words had sounded in his mind, he had been adamant he would never see her again, much less hear her speaking as though she were close by. His first thought was of his own mind conjuring up illusions, but it was only a fleeting thought before he caught sight of a mechanical head poking through the area above his face.

_Dog_.

The mechanical canine quickly scanned the area around him, his singular eye widening in recognition when he caught sight of Gordon. An excited whoop emitted from him as he reared his head back, grabbing hold of the darkened shapes still next to his find; shapes, Gordon finally realized, were large chunks of cement. Eagerly ploughing the objects aside, Dog picked Gordon up by his armpits and hauled him out of the rest of the debris.

Although the mechanical canine happily gazed at Gordon, his attention was drawn skyward, toward the red and orange coloured clouds swirling above the Citadel, a structure he was disturbed to see mere metres away from him.

"Dog, I think I found something!" Alyx sounded excited, oblivious to the fact that her search was no longer necessary. "Drop what you're doing and help me over..."

The rest of her sentence died in her throat when Dog set his find down next to her, her previously annoyed tone immediately shifting to elated relief, "Oh my god," Alyx trailed off, not quite believing what was before her eyes. "Gordon!" Eager to prove he wasn't an illusion, she lunged forward and wrapped her arms around him in a crushing embrace.

Gordon's attention wasn't fixated on Alyx however, so deeply immersed was he with thoughts of his employer, Vortigaunts, and the Citadel that he only became aware of her presence when he felt a searing pain pulse through his body. The sensation was not as strong as what he remembered back in the Citadel reactor chamber but it was enough that he had to bite back a hiss.

A rush of sensations flooded him the moment he realized she was hugging him, the feelings so foreign to him that he couldn't even identify them. One stood out above the rest and he revelled in the sensation, until he became aware of the last time he had felt something so strongly. It was a vague memory that jumped into his mind, but it was enough for the strange feeling to vanish, a deep, nerve-wracking guilt replacing it.

_I don't have the right_.

Alyx let go before he could even make sense of the wild sensations running rampant through his mind. Rather than grant him the relief he'd been hoping for though, her sudden withdrawal disturbed enough of his injuries that he could no longer suppress his pain, leaving him to fall to his knees, the pained hiss finally escaping.

She was back to his side in an instant, her brow knotted in concern. She turned to her robot companion, noticing that even his excited wiggles had ceased. "Dog, go and bring one of the medkits we found earlier! Hurry!"

The added order proved to be unnecessary, for Dog had already taken off as fast as he could.

"Gordon, I'm so sorry!" Alyx began uneasily, silently berating herself for disturbing his wounds. "I forgot, you're injured. It's just seeing you alive...I was _so_ worried..." She trailed off, unable to even voice the morbid thoughts that had been haunting her.

Gordon tried to sit up, only for another stab of pain to bring him back to his knees. A wince escaped him as he did, making him think the severity of his injuries had not improved as much as he thought.

"Hey, take it easy!" Slender hands guided Gordon into a sitting position against a pile of rocks. "You're in no shape to move around right now."

Not able to move while the two of them were so close to the Citadel was unthinkable. It was a weakness, something Gordon always despised. He waited for the surge of anger to come, a rage he could use to ignore his wounds and continue forward. It didn't come.

_What's wrong with me? _

It was the first time he had felt so lost since he and Alyx had teleported out of Nova Prospekt. His mind was swarming with foreign feelings and sensations, and he couldn't shut it out.

Dog returned before he could think more on the matter, handing a med-kit over to Alyx. She quickly withdrew a vial of Combine engineered green liquid and poured the contents into the tube of a syringe. She hesitated once the injection was near the delivery port of his suit, knowing his recovery was going to be painful. She told him as much before pumping the contents into his system.

Ever since the Resonance Cascade, Gordon had learned to deal with pain. Whether it was gunshots, claw inflicted wounds, electrical shocks, or lacerations, he'd learned to ignore all but the most life-threatening ailments, for medical supplies had never been in ready supply at Black Mesa. When he finally was able to patch himself up, the pain would reach levels beyond what he was used to but, still, he would bear it in silence. Failure to do so would let his enemies know of his whereabouts.

Twenty years of stasis later and Gordon had followed the same procedure in City Seventeen. He had only been back four days and, already, he had received his share of critical injuries; some of which had been worse than those acquired at Black Mesa. He had ignored all of it, however, and had continued pressing forward.

It was in the Citadel reactor chamber, that he finally reached his limit. The injures inflicted by the local Overwatch garrison had been beyond anything he'd ever experienced. He had been fully prepared to meet death's embrace, only to be thrown back into the clutches of his employer.

Ever since the Vortigaunts had taken him away from the G-man, Gordon had known his wounds had not been as grievous as they once were. Compared to what he was used to enduring, the pain was nothing but a discomfort. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't suppress it. The moment the medical compound started working its way through his system, he knew something was very wrong with him. The burning agony swelling through his entire body was far from the most crippling sensation he had ever felt, but to a person who couldn't bury the pain, it was horrifying.

A hoarse sounding scream reached his ears, one that he eventually realized was coming from his own mouth. It lasted for barley a few seconds before the sound died in his throat, as though he had forgotten how to show pain. He was dimly aware of his mouth still open and he shut it with a click, a grim expression the only indication that the healing compound was still working.

It took three minutes before the searing agony subsided enough for Gordon to finally move to his feet. He stumbled a little, only Alyx's steady grip preventing him from falling over.

"Gordon,...you okay?" She cursed herself for the shakiness in her voice, but she could hardly help it. She'd seen Gordon injured, often critically so, but he'd never once screamed while he was healed. To suddenly hear him cry out like that was terrifying to her.

A wave of dizziness had assaulted him ever since the healing liquid had worked its way through his system. He waited for the feeling to subside before nodding to Alyx, gently prying her hands off his shoulders and taking a few more uneasy steps. A soft blip drew his attention over to Dog, who was standing off to his left. A servo powered limb was extended toward him, the Gravity Gun snugly wedged within his large, metal hand.

Gordon stared at the offered device, torn between the desire to quickly scoop it up and the impulse get as far away from it as possible. Logic, along with a hundred other feelings, demanded that he grab ahold of the only weapon available- he was still in enemy territory after all. Only a dark whisper of fear in the back of his mind made him hesitate, a fear of losing himself in combat, something he had come close to doing on numerous occasions.

Logic, something long respected by the former scientist, was what truly convinced him to finally snatch up the Gravity Gun. But a sense of security, something usually felt when he had a weapon in his grip, didn't come. Rather, the moment his gloved hand came in contact with the cool metallic handles, he felt the quiet fear grow just a bit louder.

Alyx's eyes stayed fixed on the veteran's contemplating form a moment longer before she turned to her robot companion, "Dog, does the monitor still have power? Okay," She continued once he gave an affirmative whoop, "Try to stabilize the signal so we can check in with my Dad."

The hulking mechanical nodded before taking off toward the small staging area she had set up only a few metres away. Alyx had left the Combine transmitter on, despite the fact that the signal packet remained chaotic, hoping to hear of Gordon's whereabouts elsewhere in case her search proved to be futile. She felt a flood of embarrassment creeping on at the thought, realizing just how much she had put at risk to find him.

"Dad must be worried sick about us," Alyx said with a small smile, determined to push the feeling aside. "He was so sure I wouldn't find you here."

Gordon nodded absently, his attention fixated more on the wild destruction surrounding them. As far as he could see, everything was either a pile of rubble or a structure with only the barest traces of concrete still clinging to its framework. He found it hard to believe the explosion from the Citadel could cause such destruction, particularly since the Dark Fusion reactor was kilometres above their heads.

Alyx followed her companion's gaze up to the colossal tower, allowing herself to see just how bad things were. "Looks like its really coming apart. I still don't know how we got out of there. Last thing I remember was...Breen falling, huge explosion then...I heard Vortigaunts. Next thing I knew, Dog was digging me out of the rubble like you." She heaved a sigh, finally allowing her mind to go over recent events. "It's all so strange. We should probably-"

"Alyx! Come in!"

Eli's voice seemed to echo across the desolate area, though it was muffled and heavily crackled from static. Alyx brightened up considerably at the voice, smiling at Gordon. "Its my Dad! Wait 'till he hears that we found you! C'mon!"

Gordon watched as Alyx sprinted up a sloping mound of what used to be a building's staircase, to an area a few metres away, one mostly clear of debris. He followed as fast as he was able, the lingering pain in his system making him feel- for the first time since emerging from stasis- that he truly was forty-seven years old. He found his companion tinkering with the electronic interface at the base of a small display, the picture of which was laden with static.

"Dad...Dad...are you there?"

"Alyx!" A small note of relief was in Eli's voice, as though he had heard part of his daughter's transmission. "Sweetheart, come in!"

"Hold on a sec, there's so much interference." A frustrated breath escaped her, after her continued attempt to stabilize the transmitter's signal yielded no results. "Dog, give me a hand with this."

The mechanical complied, grabbing hold of the antenna at the top of the transmitter and rotating it towards him. His other arm was extended toward the sky, the open hand rotating back and forth as he allowed his circuitry to act as a relay dish for the transmitter.

"Okay, a little to the right...hold it. There, got it!"

Eli's face could finally be seen on the monitor, his worried expression still etched on his face, despite the visual link with his daughter. "Alyx, where are you? _Please,_ god, tell me you're out of the city!"

Alyx winced, her previous elation diminishing at the sound of her father's desperate plea, knowing full well she had disobeyed him to stay behind. "W...well not quite yet."

"What?" Eli cried, reeling back from the screen as though he'd been slapped.

Gordon couldn't help but cringe, knowing from experience that a sharp reprimand was not far behind. Of course, Alyx was fully acquainted with her father's behaviour as well and she hastened to fill him in on the one piece of good news. "But listen Dad, we found him!"

"You found _Gordon_?" Eli's incredulous expression vanished the moment the man in question stepped into view of the screen. "I don't believe it..." He all but whispered, shaking his head briefly at the new information before his eyes snapped back up to meet the two of them. "But listen, you two have to get out of the city. The Citadel could blow at any moment!"

"There's no question that it will, I'm afraid." Kliener said, suddenly stepping into view and inadvertently barrelling Eli out of the way. "Our remote sensors indicate that the process is accelerating toward a Dark Energy flare!"

"Izzy."

The gentle warning was clear in the Vance patriarch's voice, but Doctor Kliener continued, too caught up in his explanation to hear it. "Anyone left in the vicinity well be subjected to energetic events-"

"Issac."

"-whose effects," Kliener continued without pause while adjusting his glasses, "Are beyond my powers of speculation. The ravages to cellular material alone are-"

"Kliener!" Eli finally shouted, whirling the other scientist around to face him, "Stop!"

His lunging movement to stop his friend's speech had caused his metal leg to give out, only Issac's catching manoeuvre saving him from a run-in with the floor.

"Dad!" Alyx cried out in alarm, suddenly wishing she were there to offer support.

"Oh dear," Issac said as he ushered his old friend back to his feet. "Eli, I'm sorry. But, surely there's no need for undue alarm. Alyx is well out of harm's way by now."

"Well, actually," Alyx spoke with another wince, "We're still at the Citadel."

Doctor Kliener recoiled in surprise in much as the same way as her father, "Oh, dear! But there's really not much time; the core is exceedingly close to collapse! Why...there's no way to get far enough away without first...well...nothing short of a direct intervention in the core could possibly retard the reaction."

Alyx cast a troubled look toward Gordon, "You mean...going _in_?"

"Into the core yes," Kliener repeated nonchalantly before taking on a more urgent tone as he continued. "But its much too dangerous to consider! The chamber will be _bathed_ in radiation."

Well," The young Vance said with a thoughtful tone as she cast her attention back toward Gordon, "You do have the hazard suit. If we found a way to get back in, its possibly we could-"

"Alyx, no!" Eli vehemently declared, all but throwing Issac out of the way as he moved into view of the screen.

Just like that, Gordon could see her resolve crumble at her father's refusal.

"But Dad..."

"Izzy," Eli rounded on the older scientist, "Talk some _sense_ into her!"

An apologetic look was on Kliener's face before he'd even finished, "I'm sorry Eli, but I don't see any other way. It...would help us evacuate more citizens..."

Alyx, desperate for her father's approval, added in a pleading tone. "We can _do_ this Dad."

A resigned sigh escaped the Vance patriarch as he turned back around to face the screen. "Okay, Alyx. Oh...o...okay, okay. Just promise me...promise me that you won't take a _single_ unnecessary risk."

"I promise," She reached out to place her fingers on the screen, "I love you."

A light smile played across her father's lips at that, "I love you too baby. I'll be praying for you."

"Don't worry, I'll see you soon." Alyx said as she withdrew her arm, the screen dissolving into static once more as Dog removed his hold on the antenna. "Yeah," She added softly, doing nothing now to cloak the sarcasm in her tone, "Don't worry."

Gordon frowned, not just from hopeless look in her eyes- something he was unaccustomed to seeing, but also from the fact that he could feel a similar sensation within himself. It had been a long time since he'd allowed the indulge of such a pointless feeling and, while he would prefer it be a longer time still, he couldn't help it. Going back into the heart of Combine operations, into an area deep within a heavily fortified zone, seemed utterly hopeless.

But, as Alyx took a moment to compose herself, running her hands down along her face to expose a new, determined expression, Gordon did much the same- pushing the feeling aside. He would have to keep pressing forward regardless of how the situation made him feel, a mindset he'd established more than a week ago.

"Let's see if we can find a way into the Citadel from somewhere along the rim," Alyx spoke with an indicative thumb pointed over her shoulder before turning to follow her own directions.

He watched her go, dimly wondering if he should tell her to sit this one out. It was little more than a fleeting thought though. He had already learned enough about her to know that once she set her mind to something, no-one could talk her out of it. The only thing he found himself able to do was follow her lead.

"Whoa!" Alyx cried out in surprise at the huge hole the Citadel's construction had carved into the surrounding area; only a narrow ledge of rock below would prevent the Resistance duo from falling in. "What a-"

She cut herself off when an orange and black blur materialized in her peripheral vision, the sight of Gordon now standing on the very ledge she'd been staring at leaving her momentarily speechless.

"-drop." Alyx finished weakly, watching her companion move further along the precarious trail until he was out of sight.

She paused long enough to tell Dog to meet them on the other side of the ridge before following in her companion's footsteps, feeling more than a twinge of worry at Gordon's actions. Something was off about him, he'd been more than a little frazzled ever since she'd healed him. At first she'd thought it was just the after-effects from having such grievous wounds, but now she was starting to wonder.

She found him standing in a relatively large open area, standing close to the rim. At first she thought he was looking at a wide rectangular cut-out of the superstructure- the only entry point into the Citadel- but closer inspection revealed that his gaze was directed downward. After taking a quick look for Dog, who she found on the raised mound above her head, she moved closer to Gordon.

Standing there, on the edge of the precipice separating him from the Citadel, Gordon couldn't help but feel that the situation was more apt than he would ever openly admit. It was exactly how he felt at that moment, teetering on the edge. Below him, the blackened abyss he was once so familiar with, while behind him laid a coalition of debris and wreckage that was once his life- before it had been laid to waste by the Resonance Cascade. He would have to sort through the wreckage before he could even start to pick up the pieces, a task he was starting to believe he would never be strong enough to see through to the end.

Like the barren wasteland of smoking concrete and twisted metal that had once been a towering urban sprawl, Gordon felt as though he was a shadow of his former self, one step closer to the edge, and about to break. His eyes moved away from the darkened pit below him, resting back on the Citadel, facing upward, toward the very top of the super structure. He thought of his last visit inside the complex, of his mysterious employer, and he immediately felt his temper flare.

_He made me doubt myself_. Inadvertently true as the thought was, Gordon held onto it, using his anger to finally bring himself out of his strange state of mind. He finally stepped back from the precipice and turned around, surprised to find himself only an arm's length away from Alyx.

"Hey, you with me?"

He didn't respond, suddenly feeling trapped as she gazed at him, her brown eyes radiating concern. He had to force himself to look away, suddenly finding that his anger had dissipated, the sensation leaving him as quickly as it had come. Green irises locked onto anything but Alyx. He didn't know how to deal with what he was feeling. His anger had been used as a means of blocking out everything else, but now it had diminished and he could feel so much more than he was accustomed to.

Alyx tentatively stepped toward Gordon, an almost crushing sense of worry bombarding her. Having taken more than a moment to really study him, she understood what was so different, his eyes. Once alight with fire, the once seemingly unquenchable flames in his green orbs now looked to have been smothered. No matter how discouraging the odds were, Gordon would always face it head-on, determined to win. Now, however, one look into his eyes and he suddenly looked tired.

"Gordon..." She began, uncertain of what to say.

He turned to face her regardless, leaving Alyx feeling a painful lurch in her chest at the sight of those haunted green irises staring back at her. She could see so much pain inside him that she was unable to speak for several moments. He looked so lost that she found herself wanting to take away that pain, to help put his mind at ease. She knew there wasn't time though, the clock was ticking fast, and Gordon had to get his head back in the game if they were going to make it in time to avert disaster.

"We need to find a way into the Citadel." She spoke the words with a heavy heart, each one taking more effort to say than the last. A wince escaped her when Gordon turned away, the lingering silence making her realize just how weak of a reminder that was.

He turned back to face her before she could say anything further. One look at him, though, and she knew she didn't have to; a newly hardened gaze letting her know that he was ignoring whatever was troubling him.

Suppressing feelings had become a way of life for Gordon but, with his sense of apathy long since shattered- and in absence of his anger- all he could do was push everything aside. Rather than bury everything to the point where he could hardly feel it, he was still conscious of his troubles, some more than others. He knew full well it wouldn't last forever, but he hoped it would at least last long enough for the trek into the Citadel.

* * *

**Thanks to those who took the time to review the last chapter: ghillie in the mist, KRSONMar, HedyLamarr, and mellombror. **


	15. Break

**_Chapter XV: Break_**

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After a tedious hour of navigating their way through a labyrinth of corridors, Alyx and Gordon emerged onto a small balcony just wide enough for the two of them to stand side by side. Gordon's first instinct was that they had taken a wrong turn; the large chamber below didn't appear to be a very promising lead. It wasn't until Alyx jumped over the railing that he realized there was a large platform only a few metres below them. He followed after her, his armoured bulk creating a resounding thud against the glass paneled floor.

Slinging the Gravity Gun around his back once he was convinced there were no Combine forces lying in wait, Gordon allowed his surveying eyes to search for anything else of interest. He found it in the form of a cluster of terminals and monitors nestled in the wall off to his right, the wide array of equipment making him think it was an important databank..

"What the hell are those things?"

Gordon turned to Alyx at her voice, finding her gaze directed downward, to the rest of the chamber below their feet. Though dim red lighting provided only pockets of illumination in the chamber, Gordon could still make out the forms of pods stacked up along the walls. They were about half the size of gunships, leaving him wondering what was inside. A soft click drew his eyes to a pod that detached away from the wall. It seemed to move of its own accord toward a tube in the centre of the chamber, quickly shooting up once it was inside, moving farther up then either he or Alyx could see.

"Let's...see if this console has some useful information," Alyx said, her eyes drifting over to the cluster of terminals. She moved over to the control station and immediately started hacking in the Combine network. A quick use of her EMP tool allowed her to bypass an encoded directory and bring up a map of the Citadel. "Let me see if I can pin down a path to the core," She spoke more for her companion's benefit, her fingers dancing across the interface as she tried to find the fastest route to their destination.

Alyx was just about to announce her success minutes later when a particular file caught her attention. Not only was it still logged into the mainframe but it was listed as an active file. Curious, she brought it up onto the main monitor, a feeling that shifted to shock when she caught sight of a familiar face.

'I can still deliver Earth, but not without your help.'

"Breen," Alyx gasped, turning to Gordon with a bewildered expression matched only by his own. "But how?"

'The portal destination is untenable surely you can set the relay elsewhere, there's no way I can survive in that environment.'

It didn't seem possible for him to have survived the portal's destruction and a quick inspection of the file confirmed it. "Never mind," She said, visibly relaxing in relief, "Its just an old recording."

Her relief didn't last for long. The recording was interrupted before it could finish, Breen's worried face replaced with a large, green slug-like creature. The other monitors started to broadcast the same image, each of them seeming to activate on their own.

"What the hell!"

Gordon was only slightly more familiar with the creatures than Alyx, but he still had no idea what they were, and had no answer to the desperate look she set his way at the sight of its sudden appearance on the monitors. A soft hiss drew the two's attention to an opening hatch positioned below the glass panelled floor at their feet. The underside of a familiar pod emerged, its white shell encompassing all but the top, which was transparent. Through it, Gordon could make out the wiggling form of an even more familiar green creature.

The pod traveled along a railing underneath the walkway, moving toward the tube. It came to a stop at their level, pulled into an upright position by metallic arms, and Alyx tentatively approached. She rapped a single knuckle against the side of the shell, and all hell broke loose.

The pain was excruciating, the feeling of a hundred knives driving into his skull forced Gordon to his knees, the Gravity Gun slipping from his hands as he used them to grip his head. Red flashes fell in front of his eyes, the bright pulses making him feel disorientated and weak.

"We gotta get out of here!" Alyx cried, attempting to move as fast as possible toward the security screen at the far end, while making sure she maintained her balance.

Gordon couldn't even fathom the idea of movement, his very head felt like it was splitting open. The pain was unbearable, reaching levels even he couldn't withstand. Red flashes continued to bombard his retina and he could practically feel himself slipping away. He tried to block it out, tried to ignore the feeling of his mind under assault in a desperate attempt to follow after Alyx, but it wasn't working.

_Make it stop!_

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_

Gloved hands were wrapped around a man's windpipe, green eyes watching intently as the target was choked within an inch of his life before he released his hold. The man, a soldier stripped of all his equipment, crumpled at Gordon's feet, taking in heaving gulps of air. He knelt to the HECU combatant's level, a cold gaze matched by an even frostier tone. "Now, if you're done giving me lip, where are the rest of your resupply areas on the surface? I want grid coordinates."

An unintelligible mumble was the response, leaving Gordon to grab fistfuls of the soldier's desert cam uniform, bringing them face to face. "What was that?"

"I...s-said," The non-com sputtered through rapid intake of oxygen, "Fuck...you!"

Angrily shoving the man away, Gordon responded by withdrawing his Glock and putting a round into the man's left knee. Already sprawled out on the ground, the soldier could only howl in agony. He didn't give the man a chance to recover, picking him up and slamming him against the nearest cement wall. The Glock was pressed against the soldier's skull before either party could blink. "I won't ask twice."

The tone was the coldest Gordon had ever used, a look of barely contained primal fury directed at the soldier. Rather than tell the enraged scientist what he wanted to know, however, the soldier let out a weak chuckle. "Y-you really think...that I'll take one look at this Glock and...spill my guts." The non-com laughed at his own mockery, "Please. And you're only going to kill me? After _everything_ I did to you?"

Gordon tightened his grip around the soldier's throat immediately, "Shut up."

"S-struck...a nerve there, did I? Its understandable," Another weak laugh escaped him, "After all, the Corporal and I must've given you the works for _hours_!"

An unbidden memory of the butt of an M-4 rifle repeatedly pummelling his gut and striking him across the face flashed through his mind before he forcibly stomped it down. It did nothing to quell the effect though; his temper had flared. "I said shut up!"

"Gotta give you credit though," The Sergeant continued without pause, "You never did break. Not that I really cared, most fun I've ever had carrying out orders."

_Orders?_ Gordon thought blankly, his grip loosening slightly. After the Sergeant and Corporal had left him for dead in the waste disposal area of Black Mesa he had been blindly committed to tracking them down, throwing everything else aside, assuming he was going after blood thirsty psychopaths acting without authorization.

He had abandoned his search after a brief excursion on the surface, however, realizing that more people in Black Mesa would die unless he could find a way to slow HECU progress and draw their attention to him. Both of which he had intended to accomplish by destroying their forward supply areas. Finding one of his former torturers had been sheer luck more than anything else.

But what the Sergeant was saying struck him hard. _Would the military truly stoop so low?_ It was one thing to order the extermination of civilians. As barbaric as it was, the kills were still quick. But torture was different; it was brutal, horrifying, and exceedingly painful.

A half smile was on the non-com's face the moment he caught sight of Gordon's bewildered look. "That's right, command may have passed down the word for your capture and _questioning _but, man, _I_ got to have all the fun!" The smile vanished as he continued, replaced with a snarl, "But I'm sure you know damn well why. After all, word from the top is that _you_ are responsible for this whole fucking mess."

That did it. The slim control Gordon had been fighting to maintain ever since he had captured his former torturer shattered. "Its an interesting thing you said earlier about 'spilling your guts,'" Gordon said as he took hold of the combat knife he'd relieved earlier from the Sergeant, "Because I _am_ going to make you spill yours, _one_ way or _another_." He brought the blade up to the man's eye level, a cruel smile touching his lips at the spark of fear he saw in the soldier's eyes. "Let's get started."

The surrounding hallways, once stone silent after the wild gunfight that had taken place minutes earlier, were suddenly filled with blood curdling screams. It wasn't long before pleaded cries for mercy and a willingness to share once desired information took their place.

They were all left unanswered.

[{}]

The memory faded away, leaving Gordon bolting back to reality to experience the very thing he had just witnessed, pain. It stopped soon after, the pulsing red veil disappearing as the creature responsible finally ascended through the tube. The reprieve should have been gratifying, but the recent memory still swirling through his mind prevented such a feeling from manifesting. He could only lay slumped against the floor, mentally flinching at the gruesome imagery he was forced to confront.

Alyx couldn't hope to fight the shudder that coursed through her the moment the pain in her skull subsided. She wrapped her arms around herself, her brown eyes fixated on where the creature's pod had been resting moments ago. "We better get out of here Gordon."

No response was forthcoming and she turned back to the area in front of her, only to be met with the sight of gray metal plated walls. She cast a furtive glance back into the room, surprised to find Gordon still kneeling in the middle of the platform. Somewhat dizzy from the strange creature's assault, she took a few uneasy steps toward her companion. "I don't really think we should hang around." He still didn't answer and she couldn't help but feel worried. She kneeled in front of him, the unfocused look in his eyes making her nervous. "Gordon, you okay?"

He wasn't aware of his companion's query, however, too caught up with questions of his own to process anything else. Had he delved into that memory on his own? Or had it been a side-effect of the creature's telekenetic assault? Somehow, he knew it wasn't the latter. It might've been an unconscious action, but it didn't change the fact that he had just unearthed one of his darker memories from Black Mesa, and he had done it _willingly_.

There were only a few similar events from the Resonance Cascade, events so terrible that he had buried them as deeply as possible. Even as the rest of his experiences from the research facility had started rampaging through him, his suppression of those darker memories had never faltered. To acknowledge them would be to remind himself what he started becoming during the latter part of his escape from Black Mesa, and that was unacceptable.

But now, one of them had been unearthed, and he couldn't help but bask in the rage that it evoked. He had felt what slim grip he had managed to grasp over foreign feelings and unwanted memories slipping ever since he and Alyx had started moving through the Citadel. Various sections had been alight with flames, molten fragments continually raining down from unseen areas above. It had been so similar to the ruined sections of Black Mesa that, if it wasn't for Alyx asking him if he was okay, he was sure he would have lost his control already. So when that familiar sense of anger started swelling up in him, he eagerly took to it, drinking it in as much as he could.

"Gordon!' Alyx cried as she shook him, feeling panic start to grip her. "Snap out of it!"

Finally able to suppress the troubles of years past, he did just that. Snapping back to his feet, he made a quick grab for the Gravity Gun before moving to the security screen, a questioning look directed to Alyx.

Startled by his sudden desire to keep moving, Alyx nevertheless used her EMP tool to disable the particle field, worried eyes watching as her companion moved through without so much as a backward glance in her direction.

"Not too much further," She spoke once they stepped into a narrow hallway, trying to pierce what she regarded as an uncomfortable silence between them. "There's a lift two hundred metres from here. It will take us down to the core."

He didn't say anything, only the barest hint of a nod at her statement making it clear he had heard, something she would've missed had she not been scrutinizing him for a reaction. Alyx sighed, absently drumming her fingers against the pistol grip of her sidearm while she continued to stare at Gordon. After all the things they'd done together, she still didn't fully understand him. Ever since Nova Prospekt, his behaviour had been sporadic at best, cycling between feelings far too fast for her to believe it was normal. The only constant she had been able to detect was anger. But just when she had started to believe that he had finally started to let it go, it seemed to come barrelling right back.

So immersed was Alyx in her thoughts that she almost collided with the security screen that suddenly activated in front of her. Her surprise quickly turned to apprehension when she noticed that her companion was trapped in the room beyond, particle fields preventing escape. "Gordon, what's going on in there?"

An indicative finger aimed towards the ceiling was his response, leaving Alyx more than a little confused until the all too familiar voice of Overwatch dispatch could be heard.

"Unregistered equipment detected, confiscation field activated."

The centres of the four wall mounted power outlets began to glow a distinct shade of blue. Rather than pull the Gravity Gun away from his body as they did last time however, the energy beams lanced directly toward it, fully intent on vaporizing the item. Once again, the energy was simply siphoned toward the device's core, supercharging the emitters. It didn't stop with just the Gravity Gun though. With the device still held in his hands, tendrils of excess energy were absorbed by his suit.

By the time a feedback surge from the Gravity Gun disrupted the field several seconds later, his suit's power levels had been overclocked to one hundred sixty percent. With the overload to the confiscation field, the security screens deactivated as well, leaving Alyx free to move inside.

"Wow." It was all she could say once she caught sight of the Gravity Gun's now bright blue colour and the sparking wires emitting from small sections of exposed conduits. "I'd say their security device backfired."

"Premature deactivation of confiscation device two-five-zero. Security alert, security alert."

The low beep of alarm klaxons began to blare around Alyx and Gordon, instantly putting them both on edge. "Or not," Alyx hastily amended before the pair set off at a dead run.

"Overwatch unit six-one on station, initiating sweep."

The electronic voices sounded from close up ahead and Alyx instinctively ducked into an adjoining corridor in response, preparing to ambush the soldiers. The sight of Gordon still blindly rushing forward stopped her stone cold. She couldn't help but think about how foolish he was being until her stunned brain finally unfroze seconds later, leaving her to sprint after him.

"Target sighted!"

"Its Anticitizen one, take him down!"

Gordon took little notice of the pulse capsules riddling his suit, his sole focus on closing to attack range with the Gravity Gun. The squad had taken defensive positions next to the security screen protected corridor they had emerged from, with no room to manoeuvre. A few blasts from the supercharged Gravity Gun was all it took to send all eight of the trans-humans barrelling into the nearest walls.

In the few seconds it took Alyx to close to firing range, Overwatch corpses and smears of red splattered across gray plating were all that was left of the unit. "Whoa...holy..." She trailed off for a moment not quite knowing what to say. "It sure packs a punch now."

Gordon offered no comment as he moved further down the hallway, Alyx slowly following. Two more minutes of running lead the Resistance duo into a large chamber. Narrow, particle screen bridges join the opposite sides together, with large platforms spaced out across the one hundred metre distance. Each one acted as a relay for the connecting bridge, supplying the power that stopped a fall into the blackened depths below.

The sharp crack of pulse fire sent the veteran's eyes snapping toward the source, a reinforcing contingent of soldiers coming from directly behind. Not wanting to be caught in the open, the two Resistance members ran across the bridge- with Gordon making sure Alyx was in front.

"Unit Six-Two in pursuit of Anticitizen One and Vance Subprime. Requesting immediate sterilization of sector zero-three-one."

Bursts of automatic fire bared down on them as the trans-humans continued their pursuit, sending pulse capsules into the only visible target, the back of the HEV suit.

"Transmission confirmed, seventh garrison en route."

Gordon and Alyx turned around the moment they reached the first platform, bursts of 9mm rounds and a few blasts from the Gravity Gun made short work of their pursuers. They didn't stop to celebrate, sprinting across the next bridge as fast as they were able.

Overwatch was known for their fast response time, a fact both Gordon and Alyx had unwillingly experienced numerous times. But neither of the two had expected pulse capsules to be raining down on them before they had even reached the second platform, just a couple of minutes after the distress call. Reinforcements opened fire from service catwalks roughly thirty metres above them on the left and right, forcing Gordon and Alyx to hunker down.

While Alyx immediately set to work on firing back with her pistol, Gordon could only stare at his foes and grimace as multiple projectiles started pelting his suit. They were too far away for the Gravity Gun to be of any use and Gordon wasn't keen on seeing how long he and Alyx could survive with just a sidearm to rely on. His eyes rapidly scanned the surrounding area, searching for anything he could hurl back at the soldiers. His gaze eventually rested on a series of conduits running beside the bridge, each one feeding the relay platform power supply with energy balls.

For a split second he wondered what the potential risk of temporarily cutting power to the bridge, and sending both he and Alyx falling to their deaths, was. It was barely a passing feeling; calculations and levels of acceptable risk was not what he did, not anymore.

With that in mind, Gordon brought one of the shimmering orbs to the Gravity Gun's hold, spun around to take aim at the group on the left, and blasted it away. Armour and flesh disintegrated on contact with the orb, leaving behind no visible traces of the squad by the time the energy imploded. Combine forces on the other side scattered before he could even snatch up another orb, using small support beams for cover.

Not wanting either of them to be caught in the open again, the veteran grabbed hold of Alyx's arm and hauled her to her feet as he ran toward the second platform, forcing her to do the same. A discharging burst of pulse capsules sent Gordon's attention snapping back to the final squad, the audible crack resounding in the chamber just when the two stepped onto the platform. Gordon moved to grab another orb from the conduit but a sharp cry of pain stopped him cold. He whirled around to see Alyx fall to the ground, a small, dark pool of red steadily growing on her right thigh.

Alyx blinked in surprise once Gordon's face was suddenly in her view, her mind taking a few seconds to register the fact that she had been hauled to safety behind the platform's support column before the Combine could fire off another volley. A spark of pain flaring through her leg hastily brought her attention to an inspecting gloved hand. She barely fought back a grimace as she slapped it away.

"Its not bad Gordon." Alyx fought to keep her voice steady, feeling both touched by his concern and anxious that he was giving her his complete focus in the middle of a firefight.

"Secondary target ineffective."

"Confirmed, all units prepare for heavy suppression and wrap up."

The sudden reminder of Overwatch's close proximity forced Gordon's mind away from the question of how he was going to treat Alyx's injury, and toward a more immediate concern. Gently tugging Alyx's pistol from her grasp, he stepped out from cover. The Combine barley had time to recognize the threat in their midst before they were under assault. Single shots and shorts burst of fire discharged from Alyx's borrowed sidearm, each of the rounds hitting home. Five were left dead in smooth succession, the last three having hid behind cover.

More shots were fired in an attempted to encourage the trans-humans to stay down while Gordon made his way back to Alyx. He was only mildly surprised to see the woman on her feet, and even less surprised to see her having difficulty putting weight on her injured leg. He motioned to the chamber exit, a location only twenty metres from their current location, while he fired off a shot at a soldier foolish enough to leave the protection of cover. Alyx had barely taken more than more than a few limping steps before her injured leg started buckle under her.

Gordon rushed towards her, grabbing hold before she could collapse. The near miss of a sudden barrage of pulse capsules served as a reminder to the importance of a quick escape. Ignoring Alyx's startled protests, he gathered the woman in his arms- one on her lower back and one under her knees- and sprinted across the rest of the bridge. He pressed Alyx's head against the chest plate of his suit, securing her safety from few volleys of pulse fire that manage to strike his swiftly retreating form.

Even when they were out of the chamber, Gordon didn't stop running; not until he came to an area that could be cordoned off with a security door. Gently setting Alyx down after she used her EMP tool to both close the door and disable its control panel, he finally took the time to really inspect her wound. His first concern when she had been hit had been a severed artery, though the lack of spurting blood had made it clear that her injury wasn't life threatening. The fact that she had been able to move had made it equally clear that there was no bone damage.

Discovering an exit wound had alleviated the last of Gordon's worries; the possibility of the projectile still lodged inside, and it was a simple matter of using one of the five healing vials Alyx had scavenged from med-kits outside of the Citadel to mend the injury. He gave her the customary warning before pouring the vial's contents directly through the hole in her jeans. The reaction was immediate. She cried out in pain, her hand blindly grabbing hold of Gordon's as she clenched her eyes shut. Her grip was enough to leave the MIT graduate biting back a wince.

It was over almost as soon as it started, thought it took a few more seconds before Alyx was able to get her breathing back under control. Her eyes widened when she realized that her hand was gripping Gordon's and she hastily released her hold and looked away, fighting the sudden flood of embarrassment and willing the blood away from her face.

"Are you alright?" Gordon asked, mercifully oblivious to her strange behaviour. "Can you move?"

"Y-yeah," She shakily responded, slowly moving back to her feet.

Gordon rotated between scanning the corridor ahead and studying her, though the intense gaze lingered more on the latter than the former. He waited until she was on her feet before handing over the woman's sidearm- grip first.

Alyx murmured her thanks, the familiar weight of her pistol bringing an almost irrational sense of security with it. She waited a few more seconds to get her bearings, with the two of them continuing on a few seconds later. Back within the long, narrow corridors branching out all over the Citadel, the remaining hundred metre distance to the core access lift took much longer to cover than it should have. Combine patrols were now actively scouring the area, forcing the pair into more than one skirmish.

They might have missed the large, octangular elevator suspended inside an enormous chamber were it not for the two soldiers that fired at them from the connecting walkway. Alyx dispatched them with twin bursts from her pistol, allowing the two to move onto the lift's glass paneled surface.

"Yeah," Alyx muttered as her gaze drifted downward, taking in the sights of nothing but a murky yellow mist below a seemingly bottomless chamber below them, "We must be on the right track."

A simple push of a button was all it took for the elevator to descend into the depths of the Citadel. With the gentle hum of machinery growing louder as the platform gained speed in its descent, Gordon barley heard Alyx's cry of alarm. He followed her pointing finger above their heads, finding a piece of walkway on a collision course with their elevator. He had just enough time to get the object within the Gravity Gun's hold and drop it off to the side.

"Good catch," Alyx spoke after exhaling in relief, sheepishly lowering the arms she had hastily brought up in a purely instinctive reaction to try to avoid a crushing blow to the head. She lowered her gaze back to the lift, squinting in an attempt to see anything below. "It looks...like there's a stop down below. We should get off there and see where it leads."

Gordon was too preoccupied with keeping falling debris at bay to answer. His eyes widened once a towering pillar emerged from the mist above in a shower of sparks. He didn't even need to try to use the Gravity Gun to know that it wouldn't work, the object was simply much too cumbersome and massive for its descent to be stopped- supercharged Gravity Gun or not. His gaze snapped to Alyx, surprised to find her attention still fixated on the walkway below.

It was well within their sights now, the suggested drop-off point only a few metres below them. Gordon would have preferred to wait for the distance to close a bit more, but a a quick glance above made it alarmingly clear that there was no time. He slung the Gravity Gun, grabbed hold of his companion, and sprinted toward the edge.

"Gordon! Wha-"

"Jump!"

His command brokered no argument and Alyx obeyed, both of them leaping off of the platform in near simultaneous movement. Gordon released his hold on Alyx once he was confident they were both on target for the walkway. Alyx managed to break her fall with a nimble roll across the metal floor while Gordon simply landed on his feet, the force of the impact compelling him to take a knee. They both looked back at the elevator, just in time to see the falling pillar smash right through it with a deafening boom.

"_That_ was close," Alyx mutters, watching as both the pillar and the destroyed lift plummeted into the darkness below. She moved back to her feet, shooting a small, grateful smile over to Gordon as he did the same. "Thanks."

He nodded, unslinging the Gravity Gun from around his shoulders and turned to move down the corridor. Where every other hallway had shown some sign of the catastrophic damage that had gripped the Citadel, this one didn't. There were no cracks in the metal plated floors, exposed conduits, or unstable power generators. If anything, the area was eerily calm; even the sound of falling debris in the elevator shaft sounded distant.

A blast door stood at the far end, and the Resistance duo immediately veered toward it. The entryway's white sigil caught their eyes; two fragmented rings surrounding a perfect circle in the centre. To Gordon it looked like a sliced up version of the biohazard sign, though part of him felt he was simply predisposed to thinking that with Doctor Kliener's warning of the core's high radiation levels still ingrained in his memory.

The door automatically opened at their approach, heavy slats of metal retracting into the ceiling. The corridor beyond was dimly lit, soft blue beams of light providing only the barest traces of illumination. Bright light wasn't required, however, for Gordon to make out the white armoured forms of Combine elites. They moved back and forth between a cluster of consoles at the far end, an attentive Advisor watching from one of the large display screens with its visual prosthesis.

Staring straight at the creature, Gordon was charging forward before he was even consciously aware of it. By the time he finally took note of the stressed warnings Alyx was all but shouting at him, it was already too late. Two elites emerged from a security screen protected hallway on the left, OSIPRs firing. Pulse capsule impacts brought Gordon biting back a hiss, swerving the Gravity Gun to track the side-stepping combatants. He needn't have bothered. They stopped when they were in the centre of the hallway, deliberately standing between him and the control station to give their squad mates time to close in.

Gordon didn't give them a chance. Dual blasts from the Gravity Gun sent them both hurtling into their comrades, leaving them all to hit the terminals on the far end with concussive force. They were all dead before the first set of sparks could even erupt from the damaged systems.

"Look out!"

Alyx's warning came too late for Gordon to do anything more than cant his head to the right, a mixed blur of black and white brought his eyes zeroing in on an elite, just in time to see the trans-human slam the butt of its pulse rifle into his face.

[{}]

Gordon's head snapped to the side once again, turning with the blow to his head, as the Corporal brought the butt of his rifle down on his face. Crimson liquid leaked out of his mouth and he paused a moment before spitting it out, adding to the already considerable amount on the concrete floor.

"I want _answers_, Freeman."

The familiar voice of the HECU Sergeant reached his ears. He tried to focus on the blurry image pacing in front of him, but his eyes failed to co-operate. His glasses had long since been discarded, and he had taken enough blows to the head to know he would probably still have difficulties even if he did have them. The non-com raised a small, unknown instrument toward him, the threatening poise clear enough to distinguish.

"My patience is wearing thin."

Gordon hissed as the unmistakable feeling of cold metal grazed his neck.

"Now, what were you and the other scientists working on? What experiment was it that went wrong?"

He refused to say a word, not willing to give them the satisfaction of a sucessful interrogation. Not to mention that he was quite certain it would not make anything stop.

The Sergeant's blurry figure stepped back, and Gordon could just make out the wicked smirk on his lips. "Very well," He nodded to the Corporal, "Again."

[{}]

Gordon snarled as he whipped his head back around, an all consuming rage pouring into his mind like a flood. It swept away all rational thought, leaving behind only the desire to kill, to seek vengeance. He didn't see the Combine elite, or the pulse rifle it was bringing back to fire point blank. Only the HECU Sergeant stood in front of him, a dark smile on his face.

_'Eventually, Freeman, you'll tell me everything.'_

Growling in defiance, Gordon brought the Gravity Gun around to pummel the soldier in the gut. He could've simply blasted him while he was stunned, but it wouldn't have brought him the satisfaction he craved. He couldn't simply kill the man, he had to make him suffer first, give the Sergeant a taste of his own pain. The Gravity Gun fell to the floor as Gordon abandoned it in favour of delivering powerful punches to the man's sides, bypassing the protective plating of his PCV.

Every attempt by the soldier to counter attack was blocked, met with an offensive so brutal that there was no room for defence. Grabbing hold of the Sergeant's face, Gordon slammed it into the closest wall with as much strength as he could muster. A thunderous crack met the point of impact, leaving the near unconscious man collapsing on the floor. A follow up stomp to the head with an HEV empowered limb, and the target finally fell still.

He gave one last kick before finally taking a step back, trying to resist the desire to keep hitting the lifeless body. Every single part of his mind screamed to move on, to find more of the HECU and make them pay for every single thing they had done to him.

Alyx could only stare in dumbfounded shock as Gordon stepped back from the Combine soldier. His gaze rested on the corpse for several moments, deep breaths wracking his frame. The sudden eruption of anger had been so unexpected, she couldn't even imagine what had brought it on.

There were no more soldiers, the Advisor had long since disappeared from the monitor, but Gordon didn't look close like he could bring himself to relax. If anything his muscles were as tense as they could get. His hands were still balled into fists, his senses seemed to be on high alert. Alyx took a step forward, flinching when he snapped his eyes toward her. She half expected him to advance toward her, but his gaze simply stayed locked on her.

"Gordon?" She stepped closer, making sure to keep her movements slow and deliberate. "There aren't anymore soldiers, you can relax." The light joking tone was more for her own benefit, an attempt to try and settle the sense of unease threatening to grip her.

She managed to move a little closer before Gordon suddenly seemed to snap out of whatever trance he had been in. He looked at the corpse at his feet with an expression akin to slight bewilderment for a moment. His breathing came back under control almost as quickly as he moved back to scoop up the Gravity Gun.

"Are you alri-"

"Fine," Gordon interjected, for all intents and purposes pushing the troubling matter aside.

Alyx stared at him for a few moments, clearly not buying it. She opened and closed her mouth a few times, trying to think of something, anything, to say. Nothing came to mind though, and she eventually decided it would be best for them to continue with the task of stabilizing the core.

His barley maintained neutral expression collapsed the moment Alyx took her eyes off him. Everything was far from fine. His mind was being overcome with guilt, worry, and fear. Guilt from everything that had happened in the Black Mesa incident. It was a constant ache in his mind, a diseased worm slowly destroying him one piece at a time. Worry that Alyx would find out just what was wrong with him. Fear that he was losing his mind; he had never experienced any sort of flashbacks during a battle, despite the numerous, horrific things he'd witnessed in the past few days. But now, he'd just been forced to relive two of his worst memories, all in less than an hour.

Even his anger, the one thing that had been a constant in his life of late, was failing him. It was more a curse now than anything, dredging up memories that should have stayed buried, sending him into fits of rage so intense that the past and present seemed to merge together for those fleeting moments. The sight of the HECU Sergeant's corpse suddenly morphing into a deceased Combine elite had been enough to leave him dazed.

Gordon's gaze drifted toward Alyx fiddling with the core control consoles and he slowly moved after her, trying to shake away the disturbing thought of not being able to handle much more.

* * *

**I know, I know. That whole pretending I'm dead thing...terrible**

**Thanks to JackOfAllTrades-MasterOfSome, KRSONMar, mellombror, ghillie in the mist, TC, and Master Odin for their encouragements/suggestions/etc  
**


	16. Inescapable

**_Chapter XVI: Inescapable_**

[{}]

It was quiet, only the sound of a beeping console filling the Citadel's core control room. Alyx looked between the display screen showing the progress of the core's rising instability and Gordon. Though the core's impending collapse would destroy City Seventeen entirely, she found her attention drifting toward Gordon more and more. He hadn't even so much as twitched after moving to stand beside her; and his gaze had never wavered from the display screen in front of him, not even the moment the observation window slid open. The bluish white bathing the entire chamber was a stark contrast to the sickening black-blue orb pulsing directly in the centre.

"Oh my god, it looks pretty far gone."

Looking at the warning's blaring through every system in the chamber did nothing to increase her confidence that the it could even be stabilized to begin with, especially since Gordon had to be the one to do it. The HEV suit may protect against radiation but the amount of rads in the core was leaving her with doubts he would be able to survive even limited exposure. Still, she tried to sound confident, turning toward him with what she hoped was an encouraging smile.

"Good thing you know what you're doing."

The grimace racked through Gordon before he could even attempt to hide it. It was hardly the first time that same assumption had been made of him.

_'Gordon doesn't need to hear all of this, he's a highly trained professional.'_

His colleges had trusted him with one of the most sensitive experiments to ever be run in the Anti-Mass Spectrometer in Black Mesa, and it had been anything but successful. And that had only been a simple compound analysis. Here, he was supposed to prevent a reactor core from destabilizing, even if it was on temporarily. He had his own doubts, to say the least.

"Here's your elevator."

Gordon simply nodded absently, only barely aware of Alyx's quiet tone as he moved to step onboard the glass paneled lift.

"Gordon...I wish there was something more I could do to help."

He didn't hear Alyx's regret, too much immersed with his own as he was.

_'Gordon, we have complete confidence in you.'_

The words were a constant source of point in his mind, a reminder of how much he had failed that day. A failure, not only to the world, but also to his closest friends. The guilt he felt was crippling. He knew he shouldn't place the blame directly on himself, that there was more than enough to go around. No matter how much truth there was in that, it just didn't help.

A slight hiss brought his attention back to the closing elevator doors. Alyx seemed to have chased away her earlier doubts, a slight smile tugging at her lips as she gently pressed her hand against the glass.

"Hurry back."

The elevator rocketed into the darkness before he could respond, dragging him into the heart of the Ctiadel. The sound of his suit beeping several seconds later alerted him to an impending arrival in the core chamber.

"Warning: High levels of radiation detected. Emergency: Suit breach detected. Increasing CBLB502 compound dosage. Time to critical radiation exposure, thirty-two minutes."

The lift ground to a halt, depositing Gordon into the core. The shimmering surface of particle screen bridges to his front immediately grabbed his attention; they appeared to grant access to the opposite sides of the chamber. Three levels of ringed metallic platforms provided maintenance accessibility to the rest of the chamber, each of which was connected by ladder. Orbs of energy siphoned from the core were transported along vertically placed beam conveyor belts, presumably for transport through the Citadel.

A small booth off to his right looked to be a promising lead, the wide array of controls denoting an importance he couldn't ignore. A simple, inputted command on one of the terminals inside realigned the closest bridge, turning it toward the core's maintenance access area. Scaling up the ladder brought him to the first platform, where it became a necessity to sprint to the next- the unstable expansion of the pulsing core having already consumed half of the walkway.

It was on the third level where Gordon was able to get out of the chamber, exiting through a connecting corridor. Heavy footfalls of armoured boots, the light thunk of shifting gear, and the garbled sound of radio chatter alerted him to Overwatch's presence long before he actually saw them. He slowed his pace, keeping the thud of his own armoured bulk to a minimum. The moment a soldier passed by the doorway at the end of the hall, Gordon was ready. Bursts from the Gravity Gun sent Overwatch elite careening into the far walls, leaving all of them dead before they had even hit the ground.

An observation window to his right gave an impressive view of the core, though his attention was drawn more to the flashing display of the control system setup around it. Hacking into computers was not his specialty and he was a little apprehensive that stabilizing the core required a skill he didn't possess. It took little more than a scan of the monitor, however, for him to realize that the stabilization cycle had simply been interrupted; a power loss being the cause.

Activating the maintenance lift took Gordon into a small room below the turbine-like contraption in the centre. Manually redirecting the energy orbs kept in reserve containment cells into the main generator with the Gravity Gun re-engaged the power flow. A simple sequence entered back up on the control station started up the containment system, sending the small protruding barrel of the turbine-looking machine rotating. A thin beam of black energy discharged seconds later, striking the core dead centre.

It was a process Gordon repeated twice more, moving between containment system to restore nominal power flow. The light resistance first presented by Overwatch gradually escalated with each area Gordon swept and cleared, until two full squads were in pursuit.

Bombarding pulse fire forced Gordon to utilize whatever cover he could find in his attempt to turn around and return the favour. Those that had moved too close were blasted away with bone snapping force, striking walls or barrelling back into their comrades. The second Gordon had the advantage, he went on the offensive, charging what was left of the enemy formation with the full intention of ripping them to shreds. He managed to blast a few more before the trans-humans wisely decided to move out of range, forcing him to beat a hasty retreat and sprint further down the corridor.

The hallway ended in a small balcony, all too similar to the one above the Advisor chamber. It took only a handful of seconds for him to see that, not only was he positioned above the rotating panels of the core, but one was already passing his location. He vaulted over the rail without another thought, barely avoiding follow-up shots from the still pursuing Overwatch forces.

He managed to land with both feet firmly planted on his intended destination, covering the balcony with the Gravity Gun- despite his doubts as to it being within the weapon's range. No pulse fire was launched in his direction, however, nor did any Overwatch soldiers make themselves present. A slight whirling noise coming from the same corridor, however, convinced Gordon not to lower his guard. His caution was rewarded when four of the dreaded manhacks swooped down from the balcony, their red apertures immediately focusing on the only organic in the chamber.

Gordon fired the Gravity Gun at the approaching robots, managing to destroy three before the kickback of the blasts almost made him lose his balance. The sole remaining manhack chose that moment to launch its attack, surging forward to send its spinning blades into the neck of its target. Gordon, long familiar with the machine's tactics, simply rotated his body away from the flight path. Doing so on a moving platform was completely different from performing the manoeuvre on solid ground, however, and with nowhere to seek adequate cover, he was unable to entirely avoid the blade that grazed the side of his neck.

He forced himself not to spin with the impact, doing so would have taken him dangerously close to the side of the platform. The growl that escaped him at being struck by a simple machine, and the hand that slapped to cover the fresh injury, he didn't bother hiding. He managed to fire the Gravity Gun one handed, blasting the offending machine into pieces. Watching them fall brought his gaze to the control room's observation window, where Alyx was pressed against the glass, staring straight at him with a worried expression.

Realizing she'd probably witnessed his latest injury, Gordon tried to reassure her with a thumbs up, but she only looked even more worried. He couldn't blame her, the amount of times he'd shrugged off wounds, even potentially life-threatening ones, since coming to this place had already reached a level too high to follow.

_Of course_, Gordon thought as he realized he'd reflexively made the gesture with his currently crimson stained right hand, _that probably didn't help_.

"Warning: Critical radiation exposure in fifteen minutes."

The HEV issued cautionary forestowed anymore thought about Alyx as Gordon looked for another way out of the core chamber. Another balcony, on the opposite side as the one he'd used to gain entry to the chamber, provided the veteran with a means of further progress he couldn't hope to ignore. The loud thud that accompanied his landing was enough to make him wince and he anxiously waited for a trans-human response. Two minutes without the sound of frantic transmissions or rapidly approaching footsteps convinced him it was safe enough to move on.

He made it to the closest containment room without incident, with the room itself even free of Overwatch's presence. Keenly aware that time was not on his side at the moment, Gordon could afford to do little more than a short, verifying scan before making his way over to the control station. A blur of movement registered in his peripherals halfway there. He spun around just in time to catch a streak of white disappear around the corner of the walkway above.

_Overwatch elite?_

The thought had barely crossed his mind before an explosion of radio traffic came from the corridor ahead of him, closely followed by barrages of pulse fire as trans-humans rushed inside. Too far away for Gordon to deal out any damage of his own, he had no choice but to take cover behind the turbine. For once, Overwatch didn't care how much damage they inflicted on their own equipment, in fact they seemed intent on causing as much as possible to the containment device. With that sensitive piece of equipment key to completing his objective, and with his own time window in the core chamber growing steadily shorter, he had no choice but to go on the offensive.

Pulse fire tracked his movements the moment he stepped out of cover, though his unexpected manoeuvre surprised his foes enough for him to catch one completely off guard. The discharging blast from the Gravity Gun sent the soldier flying back into a squadmate, where both of them slammed against the wall, dead before impact. The remainder fell in short succession, though it was far from the one sided affair the other skirmishes had been. The last two Combine standing had opted for a charge, and they had done so with rifles discharging rampantly. Gordon had managed to kill them before they could close to melee attack range, though the riddling fire his suit had sustained had been enough to leave him immobilized with pain for a minute or so.

He triggered the core's final containment system the moment he was able, watching as the familiar beam of black energy struck the core. Rather than simply cause a rippling water effect on the surface as the others had done, the last one started to pulse. As though that were a signal, the remaining followed suit, creating a flash bright enough to make him shield his eyes. The panels at the top of the core ceased their rotation soon after, lowering in place underneath a steadily shrinking orb. By the time they locked into place the core's once sickly fusion of blue and black had morphed to a healthy, bluish glow.

"Warning: Critical radiation exposure in five minutes."

Gordon's eyes widened on how little time he had left and he hastily sprinted out of the containment room and down the corridor Overwatch had previously poured through.

"Emergency: Seek nearest contaminate free zone."

Increasing his speed with the suit's foreboding sentence echoing in his mind, the MIT graduate headed for the area his directional senses believed to be the path back to the control centre. Two minutes before radiation exposure became critical, he had to stop running; his whole body felt like it was on fire. He managed to keep pushing on at a staggered pace, one that became even slower when his vision started to blur. For a brief second he thought his glasses had somehow fallen off, but a quick inspection showed that that wasn't the case. Then, as abruptly as the sensation started, it stopped. Gordon could only stand there in bewilderment, trying to ignore the stab of fear that he had radiation poisoning.

"Warning: Critical radiation exposure in...forty minutes."

_Forty?_

There was no time to think about where that number had come from. Whether his suit had sustained enough damage to impair the medical monitoring systems or not was something he didn't think possible. Either way, it was beast to treat it as though only a limited time remained. Gordon sprinted through the corridors outside the core, still following his directional sense. He knew he'd hit the jackpot a minute later when he caught sight of control stations ahead. He didn't stop running until he was inside, gladly willing to run into a squad of enemies if it meant a radiation free zone.

There were no Combine in the core control room though, only Alyx and her smiling face, once she turned away from the observation window. "Gordon, you did it!" She turned to look at the core briefly, "I don't know how long that'll last, but at least now we have a chance to make it out of the city."

She took a step closer after that, a slight frown on her face as her gaze rested near Gordon's own. "That's strange." Alyx spoke before he could ask what she was staring at, "I thought one of the Manhacks had..." She trailed off, her frown disappearing as she shook her head, "Guess I was wrong."

Alyx moved to a neighbouring control centre and Gordon waited until her back was turned before bringing a hand up to his neck. There wasn't a trace of red anywhere on his glove.

_What the hell?_

Pushing that to the back of his mind once he noticed Alyx glancing at him over her shoulder, he moved to catch up.

"While you were in the core, I did some poking around in a few files. They were trying to start a chain reaction alright, but destroying the Citadel is just a side effect." She hacked into the terminal , bringing up the aforementioned files on the display screen so Gordon could see. "They've been feeding massive volumes of datastream directly into the core's destruction sequence. I can't decipher the encryption, but its important enough that they're willing to sacrifice the whole Citadel to send it off."

Only able to follow so much of what was on the monitor, Gordon simply opted to take her word for it. He knew enough to know that there was nothing more that could be done about it though, buying time was all they could do.

"I've been downloading a copy," Alyx flashed a brief, triumphant grin towards him before the look faded and she glanced back at the display. "Whatever it is...we're probably not going to like it. There's something else," She continued in a quieter tone, "Its Judith."

_Mossman_, Gordon thought with a snarl, _Just when I was starting to believe this was something important._

With her attention focused on the terminal in front of her, Alyx was completely oblivious to Gordon's enraged expression. She replayed the video file she'd stumbled across while her companion was in the core, bringing it up on the monitor. Judith Mossman appeared in a heavy winter parka, speaking without preamble.

'I'm fairly certain I've pinned down the location of the project. It's hard to tell whether there's anything substantial remaining, and we'll need to take a closer look at it, but I should be able to give a better opinion within a few hours.'

"Where the hell is she?"

Gordon barely took note of Alyx's query. His attention was focused more on the rebels moving down the frost covered corridor behind Mossman, one of them almost doing so at a run. Their faces turned enough toward the camera, as they stopped to speak to their squad leader, that Gordon was able to catch sight of grim expressions.

'...no telling what would happen if it were discovered by the Combine. If the site is where we think it is, than it should be no more than-'

The sound of an explosion cut Judith off, the detonation near enough to make the camera visibly shake. The rebel squad leader said something to his comrades, then ran over to Mossman.

'I'm going to cut this short,' She explained quickly, 'We may have been spotted.'

The squad leader grabbed hold of the woman's arm and all but dragged her down the hall, barking orders to the others as he went. They made it halfway down the corridor before a section of wall, directly to the camera's right, exploded. Overwatch elite materialized through the smoke and outside snowfall like ghosts, their weapons discharging the moment they crossed the threshold.

Pulse capsules shredded through the closest rebel before he could so much as scream, his weapon falling nerveless hands as he collapsed to the ground. His companion managed a bit more, firing short, rapid bursts during her frantic backpedal down the corridor. Most of her shots were little more than suppressive fire, concentration taking a backseat in the interest of survival. The trans-humans had other ideas though and easily dispatched of her in short order. But she had bought enough time for Dr. Mossman and her escort to disappear from sight.

Overwatch were already in pursuit, though Gordon's attention had already been drawn back to the Combine's improvised entryway, where a strange creature stared at the camera. Vertically stacked eyes in the centre of the hunched tripedal form moved in opposite directions, each one scanning a different section of the camera. It lunged at it a split second later, replacing the transmission with static.

"Wherever she is, she's in serious trouble."

"We have far more important things to worry about."

Alyx frowned at his immediate dismissal, sighing when she caught the pointed glare he was still giving the display, as though he could still see Mossman. "Look Gordon...I know she's not exactly on your Christmas list, but the Resistance still needs her."

A snort of disgust was the only response he could think to give to that.

"Gordon," She spoke slowly, trying a different approach, "She just made a mistake...can't you understand that?"

The veteran's hands unconsciously curled into fists as he tried to bite back the snarl threatening to spread on to his face. "A 'mistake'," He said, whirling around to face her, "That nearly killed both your father and _you_. There are no such things as second chances. Especially not for traitors."

"I don't forgive Alyx," He continued into the lingering silence that followed his announcement.

_'Y...you...would really kill...a friend?'_

_The sound of a discharging Glock echoed in the storage room, punctuating a silence that had followed after a brutal firefight. The 9mm round shredded through the skull of someone Gordon would once have done just about anything to help. Now he only watched through a cold, unblinking stare as the lifeless body fell to the floor. _

_'You're no friend of mine.'_

Gordon's eyes squeezed shut as he tried to banish the unwanted memory from his mind. He never would be able to though, and the best he could do was push it back down with the rest. "And I can't forget." He muttered the last part to himself, mixed feelings of justification and guilt strong enough to give him a headache.

A soft beep from the console brought Alyx's attention back to the data chip she'd inserted into the terminal. The small, black disc was one of the few pieces of Combine tech she couldn't help but admire. The dense storage device was capable of holding teraquads of information, more than enough to download a copy of both the core datastream packet and Judith's transmission. "I've got a copy of everything right here," She muttered, placing the disc in one of her belt pouches. "Let's get the hell out of here."

The words had barely passed through her lips before alarm klaxons started blaring, the noise shrill enough to snap Gordon out of his thoughts. He sprinted after Alyx, heading to the elevator she had taken an earlier liberty to secure.

"All units, go active and sweep control centre zero-one."

The familiar sound of Overwatch radio chatter convinced the Resistance duo to lengthen their strides, a conviction only fuelled by the close impact of pulse fire that soon followed.

"Targets fleeing down passage two-one-five, interception requested."

Both of them had too much lead for the pursuing Combine to be anything but a nuisance. Zig-zagging movements and sharp turns in the narrow hallways along their route kept the enemy from bringing any kind of effective fire to bear. Two minutes passed before the elevator was in sight.

Just before Alyx stepped onto the lift, however, a Combine elite emerged from a security screen protective hallway to the right, OSIPR at the ready. Launching himself forward without a second thought, Gordon moved between the two, absorbing the dual pulse capsules that trans-human managed to fire off. He didn't give the soldier a chance to continue the assault, striking him in the gut with the Gravity Gun. He followed it up with a blast, but the meagre jolt that came out was barely powerful enough to send the target staggering back.

The problem was obvious the moment he glanced at the device, noticing that the overcharged blue hue had faded back to orange. With the Gravity Gun all but useless, Gordon released his hold on the device, moving to grab the soldier's pulse rifle while he was still stunned. The modified human recovered quickly enough, armoured fingers tightening around the pistol grip of the OSIPR, refusing to yield control.

Gordon was far from dissuaded, pulling the soldier toward him and then grabbing hold of the rifle, he used it to strike his opponent in the face. An audible crack resounded in the corridor, leaving the soldier stumbling back from the blow; a tear in the red lense of his helmet briefly wreaking havoc with his HUD. A burst of pulse capsules fired a second later, all three projectiles shredding through an already damaged helmet, leaving the elite dead before he had even hit the ground.

"Gordon, come on!"

Discharging pulse capsules fired from the Resistance duo's closing pursuers was more than enough incentive for Gordon to follow his companion's advice, reclaiming possession of the Gravity Gun and sprinting into the elevator before their pursuers could fire off more accurate shots. He came far from escaping unscathed, wincing briefly at the searing pain that coursed through his shoulder when he slung his newly captured OSIPR.

"This lift will take us down to a loading platform," Alyx spoke, anxiously eyeing their approaching drop-off point through the glass paneled floor. "There's a Razor Train we can board there that will take us out of the city."

Her apprehension was understandable. Their escape had become much more complicated with the activation of the Citadel's alarms, not to mention that their possession of core data seemed to have garnered the undivided attention of Overwatch's elite.

The lift deposited the two into a dimly lit corridor, viewing panels to the right letting them catch a glimpse of the motionless train beyond the small loading area on the other side of a Combine security door. Alyx moved to disable to locking mechanism, only to be grabbed by the arm and pulled toward Gordon. Her startled protest died in her throat, her attention drawn to the full squad of Overwatch forces entering the loading area from the particle screen protected hallways on the far left and right. They took up defensive positions the moment they were confident the immediate area was secure, weapons pointing toward the security door.

Slowly unslinging his pulse rifle, Gordon crept toward the entry way. The soft sound of beeping electronics stopped him cold seconds later, a noise all too familiar from his travels along the coast. He immediately switched to the Gravity Gun, his fingers just grasping the device's handles when two roller mines fell down the elevator shaft. Electricity arced out of active coils as the devices started tumbling toward him.

"Try and snag one of them Gordon."

He obeyed without hesitation, blasting one back toward the lift and pulling the other towards him. Jolts of electricity sailed toward him in response, though the effect of the deadly voltage was wasted on his HEV suit.

"Dad taught me how to disable their combat inhibitors," Alyx said, tenatively moving beside Gordon with her EMP tool out. "Give me a second."

A burst of energy into the rollermine's secondary coil was all it took to do as Alyx described, though Gordon couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at her when he noticed it still trying to electrocute him.

"I've disabled the inhibitor, so it won't be able to tell the difference between friendlies and us. It does make them unstable, but it should last long enough to help us clear the way."

Eager to put that theory to the test, Gordon let his companion do the same to the other, then opened up the door. He launched both rollermines through the hail of pulse fire that greeted his appearance, aiming for the far corners of the room. Built to be virtually impenetrable to small arms fire, the rollermines easily withstood the barrages of pulse capsules and 5.56mm rounds fired their way as the machines turned on their creators.

The electric payload wreaked havoc on the trans-humans, overloading their cybernetic components one at a time, until the very systems keeping them alive were gone as well. In less than a minute, all eight soldiers had collapsed to the ground in a sizzling heap, corpses still twitching with the residual electricity coursing through them. Gordon and Alyx wasted no time in sprinting through, carefully avoiding the rollermines that were starting to turn a blaring red. The two stormed onto the traincar just as Overwatch reinforcements arrived. The train door sealed shut, leaving enemy projectiles to be harmlessly intercepted by the railcar's armour plating.

"We made it," Alyx spoke with a grin as the train started forward, rocking its newest passengers within the darkened dimly lit interior. "They definitely don't seem to thrilled about our little download, but we should be out of the city soon enough on this. All things considered, we're not doing too-"

A slight rustling noise from behind the young Vance and Gordon was instantly on alert, pulse rifle back in his shoulder in less than two seconds. His green eyes were locked on one of the many black canisters hanging from railings built into the sides. He had first believed them to be the Combine version of cargo containers but was surprised to see a head poking out of the top flap. His hesitation was little more than a split second long though and his finger had started depressing the trigger when Alyx gently pushed the barrel toward the floor.

"Oh my god," She breathed, wandering gaze lingering on all of the hanging pods she'd been too preoccupied to notice before, "This is a Stalker car." She stepped closer to the Stalker, her hands clenching into fists as shaky breaths escaped her. "Damn the Combine!" She whirled around to look at Gordon, a clear sense of desperation on her face. "This is what happens to you if you resist! Or...or if you're just in the wrong place at the wrong time." All traces of anger seemed to leaver her at that moment, giving way to an intense sadness as she slowly closed the pod's top cover. "I hope you don't remember what you were..."

Torn between his desire to kill the beings, comfort Alyx, or just let her deal with whatever memory the Stalker had elicited, Gordon could only watch her in silence. She seemed to forcibly drag herself back to reality before he could reach a decision, briefly running her hands down her face as if to dispel her troubles.

"Okay," She headed toward a terminal at the far end of their narrow compartment, "Let's see where this train is headed. With any luck, we'll be out of the city soon enough." A quick check on the console had her exhaling in relief; the train's listed destination coordinates took it far outside of the city.

"It looks like you've saved our lives again."

The smile Alyx sent Gordon's way, full of gratitude, only served to make his very insides squirm with guilt. The number of lives he'd saved since the very moment his hand had grasped that first crowbar had been substantially few in number, a stark contrast to the number of those he had killed. The idea of anyone viewing him as some kind of saviour was just sickening.

Alyx's expression soon morphed into a frown at the deeply troubled look that was suddenly on Gordon's face. Torn between the idea of respecting his privacy and letting him deal with his own problems, or voicing her concerns over his erratic behaviour, she stood there staring at him for more than a minute. Numerous ideas for how to approach the situation ran through her head, her mouth opening and closing so many times that she was glad he wasn't looking.

The train suddenly shook violently, forcing her to put her worry about Gordon aside. Another jolt soon followed, shaking the train enough that only Gordon's quick reflexes saved her from a run-in with the floor. She immediately turned back to the console, fighting to keep herself upright and input commands as fast as she could. Her eyes widened when the terminal's small display showed critical damage to the razor train's rails. The frequency and intensity of the jolts increased and Alyx found her grip tightening around console just to try and stay in place.

Gordon wasn't so fortunate. With nothing but Stalker containers to grab onto, there wasn't enough for him to even entertain the thought of staying in place. Another strong jolt was all it took for his head to bash against one of the metallic containers. He was distantly aware of the sounds of ear piercing screeching as the razor train finally slipped off the tracks before darkness washed over him.

[{}]

"Gordon...please help!"

Green eyes snapped open the moment he was able to identify the sound.

_Alyx_.

He hauled himself to his feet, immediately taking note that the train cart had tipped over slightly, leaving his right foot on the floor and his left on the wall. Narrowed eyes studied the more disturbing sight that greeted him- Stalkers with the head covers of their pods gone. Struggling against their confinement, they let loose a chorus of inhuman shrieks, behaving very much like rabid dogs. His hand instinctively reached for the pistol grip of his rifle, the cooling touch of its metallic parts putting him at ease, as did a brief visual confirmation that the Gravity Gun was still attached to his person as well.

"Gordon...help."

Turning in the direction of Alyx's voice, his eyes furthered narrowed to slits at the sight of her pinned against the wall by a Stalker pod. She struggled to push it away, face contorted in horror at the shrieking Stalker less than a few centimetres away from her. Moving as quickly as possible, Gordon was at her side seconds later, trying to pull the pod off his companion.

"Oh god, get it off! Please, get it off."

Making use of the Gravity Gun, Gordon blasted the offending pod away with a growl. Alyx wasted no time in scampering up what had once been the left wall, bringing her knees up to her chest and burying her head into crossed arms, trying to shut out her surroundings. Gordon scrambled after her, taking note of a partially open emergency hatch directly beside her.

"Alyx, we need to move."

When she made no attempt to acknowledge him, he stepped close enough to reach out and touch her arm. The tears he finally caught a glimpse of were such a contrary to the woman he'd been fighting with for the last few days that, for a moment, he could imagine her huddled up in the corridors of Black Mesa, fearful of the monsters roaming the halls. Trying to get a handle on the growing rage working its way through him, it was a stretch for him to keep his expression neutral.

"We need to get out of here."

Shakily nodding, Alyx jumped out of the emergency hatch once Gordon kicked it open. Instead of following through, Gordon took a moment to get control of the white hot fury burning within his very shell. He turned back to the Stalkers, the sound of their inhuman shrieks suddenly rushing back to his conscious mind.

Whatever was left of the Stalker's minds seemed to have been awakened, and all of them struggled against their pods with one goal in mind: freedom.

_I've received some interesting offers for your services._

They banged their abnormally thin frames against their containers, desperately shrieking in defiance as their unbreakable bonds refused to yield.

_Rather than offer you the illusion of free choice, I will take the liberty of choosing for you._

A white hot inferno of rage exploded inside him at the smug, taunting voice of his employer, his OSIPR raised before he was even consciously aware of it.

_Decisions, decisions Doctor Freeman._

The next thing he knew, he was squeezing the trigger time and time again, sending pulse capsules shredding through the skulls of every single Stalker. The silence that followed the last thunderous crack of pulse fire was a welcome on. The veteran surveyed the carnage long enough to confirm they were, in fact, all dead, jumping out of the train immediately after.

He found Alyx leaning heavily against the gray metal plating of a Combine crafted hallway only a few metres away from the train wreck. The shocked expression on her face focused on him the moment he approached. He stalked past her without a word, settling himself in a position where could keep an eye on both the entry and exit points.

"Gordon," Alyx shakily began after roughly a minute of silence, "D-did you..."

He confirmed her suspicions without hesitation, knowing full well she would have heard the pulse fire echoing from the train. "Yes."

Alyx didn't know what to say to his admittance. Stalkers may only have been the withered husks of the rebelling humans they had once been, stripped of everything but the compulsion to obey. But it didn't change the simple fact that they had once been people, rebels who had been prepared to lay down their lives for the Resistance. They hadn't been so fortunate, however, and she couldn't help but feel pity for that. Combine soldiers had been humans once too of course and she had killed quite a few of their number. But with the Stalkers, their status as slaves left them almost docile, and she couldn't help but feel that, when the Resistance had won, they could find a way to reverse at least some of the effects and give the Stalkers back a piece of who they had once been. It was a purely optimistic outlook, one that even she couldn't help but feel to be unrealistic at times, but it gave her hope that- if the worst came to and she was...reshaped- there would still be a chance left.

More troubling to her than those rampant thoughts was Gordon himself. Having pulled herself out of her own reverie long enough to really look at him it was easy to tell that he was angry. His expression was one of usual stoic indifference but his hands were tightly clenched around his pulse rifle. Fleeting glances were exchanged between the two entry points, as if he was expecting an attack at any moment. It was behaviour that all seemed akin to a frightened animal that had backed itself into a corner, because there were no other options left.

* * *

**JackOfAllTrades-MasterOfSome, KRSONMar, loyd2323, Hal44, MorsTactica, Lfan8, Kylee, Felicity101, and puma1sunfire have my thanks for their comments on the previous chapter. **

**Enjoy the latest, and feel free to let me know what you thought.**


	17. Condemned

**_Chapter XVII: Condemned_**

[{}]

He awoke instantly, the dull thunk of activating lights barely audible within his sealed tank. The clear glass covering offered no protection from the soft blue glow now illuminating the chamber and the tank's occupant would've squinted were it not for the full cover helmet he was wearing- the visual filters for the red lenses having darkened to compensate. He ignored the brief audio warning regarding an interrupted regeneration cycle, his focus drawn, instead, to the transmitted message scrolling across his helmet's Heads Up Display.

Priority Targets detected within module 01, zone 04, section 095

Identification confirmed: Anticitizen One and Vance Subprime

Primary Tasking: Termination of Anticitizen One

Secondary Tasking: Evacuate City Seventeen

Further instructions to be uploaded at rally point Black One

Addendum: Resource allocation granted

A soft hiss sounded as the tank's glass covering lifted, allowing the armoured occupant to step out. A white helmet swerved to the side, red lenses focusing on the other tanks in the chamber. He briefly remembered that there had once been others like himself, now they were all gone. He was A-062, the last of the Combine Operatives.

_Irrelevant._

Judging the assorted memories playing through his fragmented mind to be superfluous, the thought was pushed forward by his cybernetics, carrying with it a compulsion to expediently carry out his task. It was an internal order he obeyed instantly, taking only a moment to peruse his gear.

A USP Match was still holstered around his right thigh, his sniper rifle was magnetically clamped to the back of his armour, a shock blade was holstered horizontally across his lower back, and a backup combat knife was strapped near his boot. Internal diagnostics confirmed that his armour was in perfect condition and functioning at optimal capacity.

Responding to his thoughts on the locations of active Citadel units, a small list appeared on his HUD, highlighting the squads stationed near his targets. Sixty-Two immediately set about to monitoring friendly COM chatter while he left the regeneration chamber behind and moved to the last known location of Anticitizen One.

Tracking their progress was easy. With all the Combine squads engaging the targets on sight, it left a trail of locations for him to trace and it didn't take long for the Operative to realize that the targets were headed to the reactor.

"Hollow Team, reinforce protection squads in sector blue. Priorities are inbound, prepare for heavy resistance."

The squad leader's acknowledgement was near instantaneous. "Transmission confirmed, Hollow dispersing to sector blue."

He watched, through live uplink in reactor control, as the few elites tasked with protection fell before Anticitizen One's relentless onslaught. By the time his target moved into the reactor chamber, he was already there, watching in the shadows as the Overwatch squads fell before the man time and time again. A-062 made no move to assist, only observe. He took note of the target's tactics, the blinding charges that should have killed him, and would have- were it not for the target's armour. Whether the rounds were mere glancing blows or dead-on shots made little difference; all were absorbed by the high impact plating.

The man's strange weapon was the only thing preventing him from being overrun. A single discharge from it could send three or more soldiers flying back with bone crushing force. Generator rooms were cleared with alarming speed, most of the defending squads were wiped out in the time it took to fire off five consecutive bursts.

The Operative was less surprised at Overwatch's loss as he was at how quickly they had all fallen. He sent instructions ahead for all remaining forces to set-up an ambush at the last site, dispatching man-hacks toward his target to buy them time. He was so caught up in directing preparations from his position on a walkway at the last generator that he almost missed the target's entrance. A-062 swiftly darted back into the shadows, sending the signal for the ambush moments later.

Anticitizen One took more than a few hits, but they weren't enough to even slow him down. The Operative patched in the live camera feed from the ambush team, watching through their own eyes as their target took cover, waiting for the fire teams to move closer. When he finally went on the offensive, the soldiers were too close to avoid the energy blasts that sent them soaring to their deaths.

If it weren't for his cybernetics, A-062 reflected that he would've stared dumbstruck at the carnage Antictizen One left in his wake. He'd had difficulty believing that the reports and Overwatch transmission on his target's actions over the last two day period hadn't been exaggerated.

_I shouldn't be surprised_, the thought brought a clamoring of rage burning in its wake. _Its hardly the first time he's slain my brethren_.

The feeling only strengthened at the thought of lining up his own comrades for the slaughter. But then it was extinguished just as quickly as it had started to burn, forcibly squelched by his cybernetics.

_Collecting data_.

The thought struck him blankly, as if in response to his internal struggle. Even what was left of his original mind agreed with the need to study a target before engaging- though that same part of him would've balked at the employed methodology. He latched onto the emotionless side, putting his anger aside. It was the only emotion he could still feel, but it wasn't one he was willing to give into.

Not yet.

The Operative lost track of his target when the alarm klaxons started blaring, the search and destroy squads sent after his mark more of a hindrance than a help. His superiors had issued the orders, though, and even his allocator status didn't allow him to overrule it. The two Resistance members escaped down an elevator, but new orders given out minutes later, put an end to his pursuit.

Update: Anticitizen One has escaped, proceed to pod two-one-six for transport to City Seventeen

Objective Update: Primary: Terminate Anticitzen One

Secondary: Capture Vance Subprime

Tertiary: Evacuate City Seventeen

Taking the new orders in stride, A-062 moved to a loading bay and boarded the designated transport, a space he shared with an Overwatch squad. The pod was quickly scooped up by a dropship, and carried off to City Seventeen.

[{}]

"Down!"

Alyx obeyed instantly, crouching as low as she was able. A blast of buckshot and a sharp shriek drew her attention to the antlion that would have skewered her mid-flight had she not moved as quickly as she had. Two more blasts of buckshot and two more of the oversized insects met the same end as the first. Thirty seconds passed in absolute silence, Gordon's attention focused on something she couldn't see in the darkened underground tunnel.

His grip on his SPAS-12 relaxed soon after, the narrow beam of light emitted from his HEV suit briefly blinding her once he turned toward her. Alyx instinctively brought her hands up to shield her face, though Gordon was quick to direct the built-in flashlight to a spot on the ground beside her.

"Alright?"

Shakily nodding as she rose to her feet, Alyx determinedly pushed away the thought of such a close call. "What were you staring at anyway?"

In answer, Gordon directed his flashlight back at a section of the tunnel behind them and Alyx moved around the concrete support pillar blocking her view. A large gaping hole occupied an area of otherwise of sturdy concrete, erected mounds of Earth making it clear how the antlions had been able to surprise them.

"Burrows," Alyx whispered to herself. She had assumed their attackers had simply been a scattered group of antlions, but Gordon's finding made it obvious the two of them would have to contend with more than the odd cluster of zombies in the underground tunnels. "I guess the Combine defence field must have shutdown. Makes sense, if it was powered by the Citadel."

Gordon nodded in agreement, pausing long enough to reload his shotgun and then setting off down the tunnel, taking point again. He constantly swept his flashlight from side to side, paying particular attention to various abandoned vehicles scattered throughout the area. The two of them stayed in the centre for the most part, keeping a slow pace as they tried to minimize the sound of their echoing footsteps. But the state of the tunnel's disrepair forced the two to deviate on numerous occasions, leaving them to encounter more than a few zombies.

Blunt trauma was the preferred cause of death for the abominations, improvised projectiles were hurled from the Gravity Gun at such speeds that most of the headcrabs were simply blasted off their hosts. Alyx sent out a few bursts into the stragglers, only firing off three round bursts at a time, keenly aware that ammo conservation was particularly important now. Brief as they were, however, the gunshots seemed to attract all the other zombies in the immediate area and it wasn't long before the sounds of shuffling feet and haunting moans seemed to emit from all around them. Gordon constantly swept his flashlight back and forth, trying to keep every section illuminated while they continued a slow advance. It wasn't possible to keep a constant three hundred sixty degree watch though, and there more than a few close calls.

"Watch out!"

The warning came too late for Gordon to react, a zombie's swinging arms hitting his left side with enough force to send him colliding head first into a support column. He was left dazed by the impact, only barely aware of collapsing to the ground.

The sudden absence of light in the tunnel was a shock, but one Alyx forced herself to ignore. She fired at the last location of Gordon's attacker and was rewarded with surprised shrieks, the muzzle flashes illuminating the area enough for her to see the discharging bursts impacting into the headcrab. The projectiles tore through the small alien, sending out splatters of yellow flesh and gore. The steady shuffle of feet, moans, and growls signalled the approach of the rest of the group, but the reverberation made it impossible to pin down the source and she suddenly felt as blind as she was in the pitch black passage.

Gordon could barely focus, his head was swimming, his perception so skewed it brought on an extreme case of vertigo.

"I need some light Gordon."

_Alyx_. Suddenly realizing why everything was so dark, he fumbled for his flashlight control. The narrow beam of light snapped back on, offering only a small radius of illumination. Recognizing it was not enough to help, Gordon forced himself up into a sitting position, all the while trying to regain his sense of direction. In his wild struggle he caught sight of a form that bore no resemblance to Alyx.

"On your right!"

She instantly spun in the given direction, firing off a single shot to illuminate the area. Two quick bursts followed, only a brief shriek emitting from the struck target before it collapsed. A sharp growl sounded from behind her and Alyx instinctively ducked, the sweeping claws of a zombie creating a whoosh of air as they passed where her head had been only moments before. She immediately snapped her pistol behind her, blind firing a quick burst before spinning around to face the aggressor. Only a single round hit its mark, but it was enough to send the creature staggering back, giving Alyx the time she needed to finish it off with a burst to the headcrab parasite.

A sharp groan sounded from behind her and she immediately spun around to find Gordon struggling to rise. She took a step forward to try and help, but he had already anticipated it and only waved her away. Alyx couldn't be sure in the low light but she could've sworn she saw a gash on his forehead.

"Gordon-"

It was all she could get out before a sharp shriek resounded through the tunnel, a deafening boom and a splatter of yellow gore quickly followed with Gordon calmly stepping over a now dead headcrab, absently pumping his shotgun and pressing on. Trying not to think of how close Gordon had been to becoming a zombie, Alyx nevertheless felt her eyes linger on the dead Xen creature. She moved to follow her companion a moment later, forcibly ignoring the odd tightness in her chest.

With the zombies in the immediate area eliminated, the Resistance duo risked moving at a faster pace. Their efforts were rewarded with the sight of a dull blue glow emanating from another wreck of a Combine train. Unlike the Stalker car, which had crashed close to the tracks, this one had managed to gain enough speed during its derailment to bisect the tunnel at a parallel angle. Piles of cement rubble surrounded the train on both sides, exposing the tunnel's steel framework underneath, the metal now twisted and bent from the force of the impact.

A single hatchway was left exposed, the piles of zombie corpses littered around it made it clear that Alyx and Gordon weren't the first to find it. What was left of the Combine favoured blue lighting illuminated the interior, showing rows of familiar black canisters stacked along the far end. Several of them had been thrown clear from the storage racks in the crash, and now lay broken in the centre. A cluster of dead headcrabs weren't too far away, all of them piled near a fallen combine soldier. Gordon raised an eyebrow at the sight of the dead trans-human, unable to tear his eyes away from the headcrab firmly attached to the soldier's face.

"What the hell is that?" Alyx questioned once she followed her companion's gaze.

She bent down to examine the soldier, surprised to see it already bore the changes of zombie conversion. Every centimetre of the white bodysuit underneath the heavy plating was caked with blood The armour around its arms was torn, the gauntlets shredded to accommodate razor sharp clawed hands.

"A Combine zombie," Alyx said in wonder as she moved back to her feet. "That's...That's like a..." She trailed off for a moment, turning to face Gordon with a wide grin as if she were about to impart a great wisdom. "A _zom_bine, right?" She gave a small laugh at her own quip, only for her smile to lessen once she realized her companion was only staring at her blankly. "Zombine, get it? Heh, heh..." Alyx trailed off again when Gordon only blinked in response.

"O-kay." She spoke while she ducked her head in embarrassment, absently tucking a stray strand of hair back behind her hairband.

A muffled groan sounded close by, the sound so similar to a zombie that Gordon's gaze snapped to the only likely culprit. The blast of buckshot was like a thunderous crash inside the train wreck, the projectiles ripping the targeted headcrab into pieces. It didn't put a stop to the zombie cries, however, sending Gordon's eyes searching.

"Its got a grenade!"

Gordon immediately turned to see Alyx quickly backing away from the glass panel separating the storage compartment from the rest of train. Barely perceptible through the blood smeared surface was the outline of another zombine and the blinking red dot of a live grenade. The intervals between the blinking light were dangerously low and Gordon knew there was no way either of them would make it out of the train in time. He reached out to grab Alyx's arm, pulled her so that her back was against his chest, then spun around and crouched so that his back was facing the panel.

The explosion shook the train barely a second later, blanketing the interior in shrapnel. Gordon took the full brunt of it against his HEV suit, only a slight grimace escaping him as a few pieces of glass singed the back of his neck.

Another explosion sounded and Gordon instinctively tensed, bracing himself for incoming shrapnel. More explosions followed, a series of detonations echoing with thunderous force, as though entire crates of grenades had exploded.

"Contact in section alpha two-five. All units, close in! Neutralize tango!"

_Combine soldiers?_

Gordon stepped away from Alyx and darted out of the storage compartment to the other side of the train. The zombine's grenade had blown a second hatch open, exposing a way to continue back into the tunnel. Gordon hastily peered through, expecting to see a squad of trans-humans bearing down on them. But there was nothing but darkness.

The unmistakable sound of gunfire reached his ears, the distinct echo, again, giving the impression that Combine soldiers were not only nearby, but firing at him. There were no muzzle flashes though, not even any indication of projectile impacts.

"Zero to Two-One lock down the site! Lock it down!"

_That doesn't sound like Combine radio chatter. Its more like..._

"That's a negative zero, negative! We are in the zone, in pursuit of tango. Say again, One-Four is in the zone!"

_HECU_.

The thought sent a glimmer of fear squirming through Gordon when he realized he was losing his grip on reality.

_Go. Away_. He thought to himself desperately, unconsciously closing his eyes in a futile attempt to shut everything out.

It didn't help, if anything the sounds were getting louder. Fear gave way to frustration, bringing an inferno of rage Gordon hastily used to try to squelch the memory, frantically trying to ground himself in the present. With his fury blazing as much as it was, he didn't have to wait long for the echoes to diminish in intensity- gradually fading until everything was silent once again.

"Gordon?"

His gaze flicked to Alyx, his expression showing none of the apprehension he could feel mounting inside. Had he done something he wasn't aware of? How long had he been standing by the hatch staring out into the tunnel?

"Thanks for the…the save back there."

He waited, expecting her to say more, but she didn't. Mentally sighing in relief, he inclined his head, his version of a 'your welcome.' His eyes shifted back to the tunnel at that, this time with his flashlight on to illuminate the area. Had Gordon looked back at Alyx he would've seen the deep frown on her face as she followed him out of the train.

A groan sounded only moments after the two had taken more than a few steps, additional moans and garbled radio noises signalling the approach of Alyx's coined zombines. Gordon blasted through the abominations, firing shotgun shells and improvised projectiles into the horde. The body armour the former trans-humans wore was still intact, making them resistant to death by any means other than a direct headshot to their parasitic puppeteers.

With Alyx staying close, the two managed to achieve a fast, steady pace. They soon banked away from the tunnel, moving into an adjoining passage that took them to a three level car park. At a cursory glance, the top level appeared to have completely collapsed, with only the barest skeletal remain of its concrete framework still intact. The second level fared little better, the collapsing sections from the floor above having left large, gaping holes throughout the centre- where the structural stress had simply become too great.

The ground floor was what captured Gordon's attention. A pitched engagement between antlions and zombies had broken out, a clash sparked by the antlions burrowing into territory controlled by the undead. Zombies stumbled forward to meet the invaders, sharpened claws ripping through exoskeletons and flesh in a single swipe, leaving scores of dead in their wake. The Antlions countered with small bursts of flight, soaring over the heads of their enemies and attacking from above. Needle sharp teeth sank into headcrabs, eliminating the parasites in a single, powerful bite and leaving the host bodies to crumple to the ground.

Despite the zombie's ferocious attacks, the tide turned in favour of the blind insects as they poured out of their burrows in greater and greater numbers. Gordon was aware that their window of opportunity was coming closer to closing with every zombie that fell. He motioned for Alyx to move and they both took off sprinting.

The two skirted around the skirmish and headed for the partially collapsed section of concrete that acted as a ramp between the first and second level. Their caution proved pointless. Antlion numbers increased to the point where the zombies last remaining defenders were easily overwhelmed, and the victors turned their attention to the two unwelcome guests. Gordon and Alyx barely managed to scramble up the ramp before they started getting swarmed.

Strikes came from above and on the ground. It was an instinctual, collective attack strategy the creatures had developed over hundreds of years. It had been enough to deal with the zombies, but Gordon and Alyx weren't limited to just melee combat. Answering gunfire cut the charge short, sending those on the ground barrelling back into their kin while those in the air simply plummeted into the ranks below. The formation's disruption, combined with the sudden overpowering release of pheremones from dying antlions created a sense of panic that threatened to tear the formation apart.

Taking advantage of the chaos, Alyx and Gordon retreated to a new location. They moved along what was left of the second level, running along a combination of still intact flooring and metal support beams. The two managed to cover a short distance of three metres before the antlions were back in pursuit. The frenzying insects lost all semblance of their hive mentality, attacking in a free-for-all manner that made them far easier to deal with.

For every one that was eliminated, another two emerged from the burrows below to take its place. There was no way for the Resistance duo to leave the car park before they were swarmed, so Gordon abandoned his retreat. There were too many for him to risk turning back so he took the only option left, he jumped. He landed with a thud, the HEV suit easily absorbing the impact from the ten metre fall.

Antlions swarmed toward Gordon, the majority abandoning thier pursuit of Alyx. He ignored them in his mad dash, pausing only to fire at those that attempted aerial assaults. He moved to where the zombies had fallen, immediately searching the TAC-vests of the zombines. He looted two grenades from their respective pouches and immediately primed and tossed them into two of the three burrows.

The tunnels collapsed from the explosive ordnance, giving Gordon enough respite to deal with his pursuers. When the last insect to his front fell, Gordon secured another grenade from the fallen zombine's TAC-vest, pulled the pin, and almost casually tossed it down into the last burrow. The explosion shook the tunnel, which lasted for barely a microsecond more before caving in. The faint cries of Antlions sounded as the chasm collapsed, taking with it those unlucky enough to be inside.

Gordon remained alert, listening for the rumble of burrowing antlions for several more seconds, then relaxing when nothing happened. He regrouped with Alyx on the third floor, briefly raising an eyebrow at the sharp glare he was greeted with before shrugging it off and pressing on.

After leaving the car park, and fighting their way through a zombie controlled passage, the two moved into, what could best be described as a maintenance area. Inactive generators were lined along the left wall, nearby displays designed to show electrical output had long since stood frozen at zero.

Even in the dark, Gordon could've sworn he saw Alyx's eyes light up at the sight of the old service lift. "I don't believe it, an actual elevator! I would've settled for stairs."

She stepped forward to key for the ascent button on the elevator's keypad, only for Gordon to lunge forward and pull her hand away. She opened her mouth to protest but Gordon hastily put a finger to his lips, pointed to the elevator, and then gestured to the area at large.

She looked confused for only a moment before she caught on and nodded. "Got any ideas then?"

In answer, Gordon scooped up one of the discarded flares littering the area and promptly set it ablaze. The red glow was a welcome reprieve from the dark passage, illuminating at least a dozen metres worth of space around it. Placing it roughly fifteen metres away from them, Gordon repeated the process until there were six more of the incendiaries completely encircling both he and Alyx.

"Ready?"

Alyx almost started at the question, having been about to ask the same thing. She quickly steeled her nerves, pulled out her pistol, and flipped off the safety. "Ready to get the hell out of here."

Gordon called for the elevator and the effect was immediate. The lift's long dormant power snapped back on, the power source sounding like the warm up of an old turbine engine. The howls of headcrab hosts sounded immediately after, the terrifying noise made all the worse by the confined space in the tunnel.

The first zombies shuffled into view mere moments later, their thin numbers initially requiring only a volley of buckshot and dual bursts of 9mm rounds. The ranks of undead quickly swelled, seemingly spurred on by the ear-shattering booms of gun-fire.

"More behind us!" Alyx shouted as more abominations closed in on them.

Gordon sent out a few volleys of fire to assist her, but quickly realized that it wouldn't do to maintain a 360 degree firing arc. "Back to back!"

_One hundred eighty degrees_, Gordon thought as he stood with his companion, _much more manageable_.

Zombines sprinted ahead of their slowly shuffling comrades, taking on a self appointed shock troop role. Although few in number, their suicidal charges were meant to draw fire away from the others. Dispatching them became a priority, leading to a gradually increasing number of zombies. It wasn't long before it seemed like every headcrab controlled biped in the tunnels had descended upon the two survivors.

The veteran had to force himself not to check on Alyx. Theirs was a formation built on trust; it was effective so long as both parties kept strictly to their own defences. The moment one left their area unattended, for any reason, and they would be overrun. It seemed like forever since Gordon felt he could trust anybody but, as the battle raged on, he found himself wanting to glance back less and less.

He pumped the shotgun, barely registering the ejection of the spent shell as he immediately fired off another. He had long since given up on aiming; with the flood of zombies pouring forward, there was no way any of the discharging buckshot could miss. Struck zombies were either killed or wounded. Each resulted in a drastically slower pace, the undead stumbling over the fallen, unwillingly forging a barrier between themselves and their targets.

"I need some help here Gordon!" Alyx yelled to be heard over the constant crack of pistol fire and the frenzied shrieks of zombie aggressors.

The MIT graduate paused long enough to send another zombie flying back, "Switch!"

Both combatants whirled around 180 degrees in near simultaneous movement, weapons discharging the moment they had targets in their sights. Alyx worked on keeping the slower zombies at bay while Gordon focused his fire on the zombines that had been plaguing his companion. The former trans-humans were a lot closer than he had thought; he barely managed to squeeze of another shell of double-o buckshot. The struck zombine was blown back, but a second sprinted toward Gordon as fast as it was able, ramming into its target with concussive force.

Barrelling back from the blow, Gordon slammed onto the ground, coming dangerously close to a pair of swiping claws. Blind firing with the SPAS-12 rewarded him with a sharp shriek before he turned his attention to his original attacker. Another discharging shell was fired but, with Gordon's awkward prone position, his aim was less than perfect. The zombine merely stumbled from the impact, only trace amounts of buckshot managing to bypass its heavy armour.

It responded to the attack with a growl, whipping out a live grenade and getting ready for its final rush. Gordon automatically moved to grab the Gravity Gun, only to stop once he realized there wasn't enough time to bring it to bear. With only one option left, Gordon levelled his shotgun at the twice over abomination and fired both barrels. The explosive kickback and noise combined were enough to make him wince, but it was worth watching the zombine fly backward, the grenade soaring out of its grip and landing in the middle of the assembled horde.

The detonation occurred a mere two seconds later, ripping scores of zombies apart and shredding even more with shrapnel, creating a break in the previously tight knit circle. Gordon stormed into the middle of it, barking for Alyx to fall back while hails of shotgun blasts forced the gap to widen.

A metallic clang, barely audible over the vicious skirmish, signalled the arrival of the service lift. Alyx was the first to notice and she immediately started shouting for Gordon to move. He demonstrated his acknowledgement by turning around to follow her, blasting the zombies that came too close or striking headcrabs with the butt of his weapon.

A growl sounded behind and Gordon spun to meet the new attacker. The zombie's claws swiped the shotgun out of his hands before he could even bring it to bear. With nothing left other than the Gravity Gun and the half- empty magazine in his USP, there was no hope of stalling the horde any longer. He abandoned his attack and sprinted after Alyx, the undead in hot pursuit.

"Come on Gordon!" Alyx urged from ahead, already next to the elevator, firing indiscriminately into the approaching zombies.

"AHRGNNN!"

The terrifying shriek sounded from within the horde and Gordon risked glancing back. A fast zombie darted through the ranks of undead, running on all four limbs. The remainder parted for it to pass. Gordon willed himself to move faster, coaxing as much power as he could from both his suit and his weary muscles. Alyx moved inside the lift moment he was close, her finger hovering next to the ascension button.

A sharp shriek sounded from behind, just moments before Gordon felt a white hot pain lancing through his back. For a couple of seconds, he felt like he was free floating, only to slam against a metallic surface a split second after.

"Gordon!"

A sharp thud and a trio of rounds rang out. A fast zombie's loud wail quickly shifted to a growl, only for another burst of gunfire to sound off. Everything was suddenly quieter, only the distant hum of working machinery and the distant cries of the undead reached his ears. For a brief moment, it seemed too surreal. Another lance of pain in his back, however, and he knew it wasn't. He pushed himself back to his feet, using the edge of the elevator to support him. Gordon grimaced as the fast zombie that had tackled him slid from his back, taking its previously embedded claws with it.

Knowing they were safe for the moment left Gordon feeling drained. He leaned against the still moving lift, suddenly feeling tired. He wasn't surprised, he couldn't even remember the last time he'd gotten any sleep. Not that he wanted to. With all the Black Mesa experiences he was starting to relive while he was awake, he didn't even want to think about what awaited him in his sleep, when he was completely defenceless.

There wasn't much that he could do about it though, the body's adrenaline could only fuel a person for so long. He thought about the HEV medical systems, and his train of thought stopped dead. Maybe he could keep himself awake. There was no way to ward off sleep indefinitely, but he could at least postpone it- maybe even long enough to get out of the city.

* * *

**It feels like its been a year since my last update. Apologies for that, but I've just been busy with other things. **

**I've been working on and off on this for so long. Imagine my disappointment to discover that this chapter wasn't actually 20,000 words long, but only a little over 5k. Ah, well. **

**JackOffAllTrades-MasterOfSome, mellombror, KRSONMar, Dj Sarabi, ghillie in the mist, Dysart, MorsTactica, and Kylee- gratitude for the reviews.**


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